Questions
Everything sellers ask, answered without hedging
If something is not covered here, write to us and we will answer it directly — and then add it to this page.
01
Selling to us
How a sale works, what we pay, and what happens to your piece afterwards.
How does selling to Sayyid & Najjar Co. actually work?
It takes four steps. First, you tell us what you have — a photograph and a certificate number are usually enough to start. Second, we provide an indicative range, normally within 24 hours, based on the documentation and current market levels. Third, we inspect the piece physically, either at our Dubai office, through the broker nearest you, or via insured shipping that we arrange and pay for. Fourth, we make a firm written offer; if you accept, funds are wired the same day. You are under no obligation at any stage, and there is no charge if you decide not to proceed.
What percentage of retail value will I receive?
There is no fixed percentage, and any buyer who quotes one is pricing their business model rather than your asset. A GIA-certified diamond in strong demand may realise 50–70% of its original retail price; a signed Cartier or Van Cleef piece can reach 60–80%; a classic Hermès Birkin frequently exceeds what it cost new; a mass-market gold chain is worth its metal content and nothing more. What drives the figure is the international wholesale value of the specific item, not a formula applied to the receipt.
Do you charge for valuations?
No. Assessment, authentication and our written offer are all free of charge and carry no obligation. We earn on the goods we successfully trade, not on appraisal fees. Where a piece requires independent laboratory certification to be priced properly — origin determination on a coloured stone, for instance — we cover that cost ourselves on qualifying items, and you receive the report whether or not you sell to us.
Can I sell if I am not in Dubai?
Yes — a large share of our business is transacted internationally. We maintain broker relationships in London, Geneva, Antwerp, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Singapore, New York and Istanbul, and can usually arrange a meeting with someone local to you. Where that is not practical, we organise fully insured, tracked shipping at our cost, and you can watch the piece through to arrival. For higher values we transact through escrow so that neither side is exposed.
What happens to my piece after I sell it?
It re-enters the international trade. Diamonds and gemstones may be sold on to a broker, a manufacturer, or a private client through our network. Signed jewellery and watches typically go to collectors or specialist dealers. Scrap gold with no design value is refined. We do not publish, list or advertise anything with a former owner’s name attached, and we do not disclose provenance without written permission.
02
Certification & verification
Laboratory reports, what they prove, and how to check one yourself.
How do I verify that a GIA certificate is genuine?
Use GIA’s own Report Check database, which is free and public. Enter the report number printed on the document — ten digits on current reports, sometimes seven to nine on older or small-stone reports — together with the carat weight, and GIA returns the grading record held in its archive. Compare every line against your document: shape, measurements, carat weight, colour, clarity, cut, polish, symmetry and fluorescence. Then check the report number laser-inscribed on the diamond’s girdle with a 10x loupe. If the paper and the database disagree in any particular, stop and seek independent advice. Our verification tool passes your query straight to GIA; we never hold or mirror their data.
Which grading laboratories do you accept?
We accept GIA, IGI, HRD Antwerp and AGS for diamonds, and GÜBELIN, SSEF, AGL, GIA and GRS for coloured stones. GIA remains the international benchmark for diamond grading and is the most consistently applied. Other laboratories vary, and some grade noticeably more generously — a stone certified as G/VS2 by one laboratory may grade I/SI1 at GIA, which is a substantial difference in value. We price against GIA-equivalent grading regardless of which report accompanies the stone, and we will explain the adjustment openly.
Is an old certificate still valid?
It remains a genuine record of what the laboratory found on the date of issue, but grading standards have tightened over the decades and a report from the 1990s may not reflect how the same stone would grade today. Sometimes this works in the seller’s favour. For significant stones we generally recommend recertification, and we can arrange GIA submission — around two to four weeks — where the likely uplift justifies it.
What if my diamond has no certificate at all?
We buy uncertified stones routinely and grade them in-house to GIA standards. Certification increases liquidity and therefore price, particularly above one carat, so where a report would materially raise your return we will recommend it and can handle the submission. Below roughly half a carat the certification cost generally exceeds the uplift, and we will say so rather than sell you a service you do not need.
03
The house
Who we are, how we are regulated, and how we handle discretion.
How long has Sayyid & Najjar Co. been trading?
Since 1983. The house was founded in Dubai by two families already active in the Gulf gem trade, at the point when the city was beginning its transformation into a global centre for physical gold and diamonds. We have traded continuously through every cycle since — the 1997 Asian crisis, 2008, the 2020 shutdown and the volatility that followed. Longevity in this trade is not a marketing line; it is the reason counterparties on four continents accept our word on a stone before they see it.
Are you regulated, and are you compliant on sourcing?
We operate from the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre and trade on the Dubai Diamond Exchange, within the UAE’s anti-money-laundering framework. All rough and polished diamond trading follows the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, and we apply the Responsible Jewellery Council’s principles to sourcing and supply-chain diligence. Every transaction above the regulatory threshold requires identity verification and proof of ownership — this is a legal obligation, and it protects honest sellers as much as it deters the other kind.
How private is a transaction with you?
Entirely. We are a private-treaty house: nothing is listed, auctioned, catalogued or advertised. Your name is never attached to an item we acquire, and we do not discuss client holdings with third parties, including other clients. Estate and family-office work is conducted under written confidentiality as standard, and we are accustomed to working alongside lawyers and trustees who require it.
Do you sell as well as buy?
Yes. We source diamonds, coloured stones, signed jewellery and watches for private clients, family offices and the trade — from the trading floor rather than the shop window, which typically means a different price for the same goods. Acquisition is by appointment and begins with a brief: what you are looking for, the quality parameters that matter to you, and a budget. We then present options from the international market, with full documentation, and you commit only when a stone is in front of you.
Why should I trust a valuation from a buyer?
Because you should verify it. Take our figure to two other houses — we would encourage it. A valuation that survives comparison is worth something; one that does not, is not. We also show our working: which comparable sales, which benchmark, which deductions and why. A buyer unwilling to show you the arithmetic behind their number is telling you something important about the number.
04
Practical matters
Payment, shipping, insurance and documentation.
How am I paid?
By your choice of international wire transfer, escrow, or certified bank draft; in Dubai, cash settlement is available within the regulatory reporting thresholds. We settle in AED, USD, EUR, GBP or CHF. Funds are released the same day an offer is accepted for domestic transactions, and on verified receipt for international ones. We do not offer consignment or deferred payment — when we buy, we buy outright, and the money moves immediately.
Is my item insured while in transit?
Yes, fully, and at our expense. International movements travel by specialist secure courier — Brink’s, Malca-Amit or Ferrari — under all-risks cover for the full declared value, door to door, with tracking you can follow. Nothing leaves your possession until the shipment is booked, insured and documented in your name.
What documentation do I need to sell?
Government-issued photo identification and, where the value exceeds the regulatory threshold, evidence of ownership — an original receipt, an insurance schedule, a laboratory report in your name, an inheritance document or a prior valuation. For estates we work with grants of probate and executor instructions. If documentation is incomplete we will tell you what is needed before you travel, so nothing is wasted.
Can you value a collection at my home or bank?
Yes. For collections of significant value we travel — to a residence, a private bank, a safe-deposit facility or a lawyer’s office, anywhere in the world. We catalogue and value item by item, provide a written schedule, and make a consolidated offer with every line itemised. This service is free and carries no obligation.
Still unanswered?
Ask us directly. We answer properly.
No call centre, no script, and no obligation. A principal will reply to your question personally — usually the same day.