Notes on a pad, report in Word
Your valuer measures a diamond cluster ring: centre stone diameter and depth, estimated weight, colour and clarity grades by their method, the surrounding stones, metal and hallmarks, finger size, condition. It all goes on a notepad or a paper form. Then photos on a camera or phone.
Later, often in the evening, the notes are typed into a Word template. The photos are downloaded, cropped and inserted. The description is written out in full, with the same kind of phrases as the last forty cluster rings. The report is numbered by hand, saved in a folder named after the customer, printed, signed and filed.
A single ring is manageable. A customer with a jewellery box of twelve items is an evening gone.
Why reports take longer than the valuation
Information is captured twice: once at the bench and again at the keyboard. Every retype is a chance for a transcription mistake, such as a weight or a hallmark date copied wrongly.
Descriptions repeat, but the template does not help. Valuers develop their own way of describing settings, cuts and conditions, and then type it from scratch or copy it from an old report and edit carefully, hoping nothing from the old piece slips through.
Photos are handled separately from the notes. Matching photo 2317 to item seven of the jewellery box is fiddly, and one wrong image in a report is a serious error.
Report numbers, dates and the customer's details are also managed by hand, so finding a previous report for revaluation means searching folders.
What the typing costs
| Issue | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Double entry of measurements | Transcription errors in figures that matter to insurers |
| Descriptions typed from scratch | Evenings spent writing rather than valuing |
| Photos matched by hand | Risk of the wrong image on a report |
| Reports saved as loose documents | Slow to find for revaluation or queries |
| Turnaround driven by typing time | Customers waiting for reports that are effectively done |
None of this is about the valuer's judgement, which stays entirely theirs. It is the clerical layer around it.
Accuracy carries real weight here. A valuation report may be relied on by an insurer to settle a claim years later, perhaps after the piece has been lost and the report is the only description left. A carat weight copied wrongly, or a photo from a different ring, is the kind of mistake nobody notices at the time and everybody notices at the worst possible moment. Reducing the retyping reduces the places where that can happen.
The report tool we build
- At the bench, the valuer uses a tablet form designed around your report structure: item type, metal and marks, stones with measurements and grades, dimensions, condition, and the value figure they arrive at by their own method.
- Descriptions are built from the valuer's own phrase library. Choosing 'four claw, six claw, rub over, pavé' and so on fills in their own wording, which they can then edit. We build the library from their past reports.
- Photos are taken on the same tablet, or uploaded from a camera, and attached directly to the item they show.
- Report numbers, dates, customer details and your standard terms are filled in automatically.
- The finished report is generated as a PDF in your house layout, with a signature step, then stored against the customer and the item.
- Previous reports are searchable by customer, item or report number, so revaluation starts from the last report rather than a blank page.
We can use an AI model, such as Anthropic Claude, to turn bench notes into a draft description in your style if you want it. The valuer reviews and edits every word, and nothing goes out without their sign-off.
Evenings back
The valuer enters each detail once, at the bench, with the piece in front of them. The report is largely built by the time they finish looking at the item. Checking and signing replace typing.
- Measurements recorded once, where they are taken
- Descriptions in the valuer's own words, without retyping
- Photos attached to the right item automatically
- Reports numbered, stored and easy to find again
Signs this is your valuation process
- Valuation notes are handwritten and typed up later.
- Reports are Word documents saved in customer folders.
- The valuer often writes reports outside shop hours.
- Finding a previous report takes a folder search.
- Photos are downloaded and inserted into reports by hand.