Respected industry leader joins innovative technology platform as early results demonstrate substantial opportunities for jewellery and watch retailers
ValuCert™, the rapidly growing digital asset management and SmartReport™ platform for the jewellery and watch industry, has announced the appointment of highly respected industry figure Judith Lockwood as Strategic Industry Advisor.
Lockwood joins founder Christopher Stoner and Strategic Partnerships Lead Sarah Stoner as the business continues to expand its mission of helping jewellery and watch retailers strengthen customer relationships, improve asset documentation, increase insurance uptake, and unlock new recurring revenue opportunities.
Widely regarded as one of the most influential and well-connected professionals in the UK jewellery sector, Judith Lockwood brings more than three decades of experience across luxury jewellery and watches, diamonds, branding, manufacturing, distribution and retail development. Best known today as founder of Mesmeric Distribution (TI SENTO), her position as Supplier Director at The Company of Master Jewellers and voluntary roles as Vice Chair of The Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council and Guardian at The Birmingham Assay Office.
Her appointment represents a significant endorsement of the ValuCert™ vision and the growing movement towards modernising the documentation, management and protection of valuable jewellery and watch assets.
Founded by second-generation jeweller, bespoke specialist and entrepreneur Christopher Stoner, ValuCert™ was developed in response to a long-standing challenge facing the industry.
Whilst jewellery retailers invest significant time and resources acquiring customers, valuable customer relationships often become disconnected shortly after a sale is completed. Opportunities related to insurance, servicing, repairs, valuations, remodelling, upgrades, replacement purchases, and future sales are frequently lost due to a lack of ongoing connection among the customer, the asset, and the originating retailer.
ValuCert™ addresses this challenge through its proprietary SmartReport™ technology and customer-facing ValuVault™ platform.
Every item recorded through the platform receives a SmartReport™, a professional digital asset record that combines proof of ownership, detailed specifications, photography, provenance, and supporting documentation. These records are securely stored within the customer’s ValuVault™, creating a permanent digital connection between the asset, the customer and the retailer.
The platform effectively transforms what has traditionally been a one-off transaction into an ongoing customer relationship centred around the management, protection and future servicing of valuable assets.
The company is also helping address one of the jewellery industry’s most persistent and overlooked challenges: under-insurance.
ValuCert™ is currently working with leading jewellery and watch insurance providers to create a seamless connection between professionally documented assets and specialist insurance cover. By allowing customers to obtain quotations directly from assets held within their ValuVault™, retailers can offer a significantly improved customer experience while helping ensure valuable items are protected correctly.
For retailers, the benefits extend far beyond insurance commission alone. Increased customer engagement, improved asset visibility, enhanced customer retention and additional opportunities for servicing, repairs, valuations, remodelling and future purchases all contribute to a more valuable long-term customer relationship.
Christopher Stoner said: “ValuCert™ was born out of frustration. For years, I watched retailers sell high-value jewellery and watches, only to lose visibility of those assets almost immediately afterwards. In today’s digital world, that simply doesn’t make sense.
Every valuable asset creates future opportunities, whether that’s insurance, servicing, repairs, valuations, remodelling, upgrades, replacement purchases, probate work or resale. Yet much of that opportunity is currently lost across the industry.
The early insurance results have exceeded even our own expectations and demonstrate the scale of untapped opportunity when assets are professionally documented and customers remain connected.
Judith understands the challenges and opportunities facing our industry better than almost anyone. Her experience, insight and network will be invaluable as we continue to grow.”
Judith Lockwood commented: “Throughout my entire industry career, it’s always been important to me to bring something new and relevant to retailers. When Chris called, I was intrigued.
What I immediately understood about ValuCert™ was that it addresses so many current, multi-industry challenges simultaneously. It gives immediate client re-engagement and relationship building, operates alongside their existing retailer systems, it tidies up retailer documentation standards, creates entirely new opportunities for recurring revenue and is simple and easy to use.
For many years, the industry has talked about customer retention, returning footfall and lifetime customer value. ValuCert™ provides a practical, scalable and commercially compelling way of achieving both.”
Sarah Stoner added: “Jewellery is rarely just jewellery. Behind almost every piece is a story, a memory, a milestone or a loved one.
For years, I have seen the consequences when customers discover too late that they lack the documentation or insurance needed to properly protect their treasured possessions.
ValuCert™ gives consumers a secure and modern way to manage the records, provenance and protection of their jewellery and watches, while helping retailers maintain meaningful relationships with their customers for years to come. It is a better experience for everyone involved.”
Collectively, Christopher Stoner, Judith Lockwood and Sarah Stoner bring more than sixty years of combined jewellery industry experience spanning luxury retail, manufacturing, valuation, distribution, customer engagement, marketing, business development and strategic growth.
As adoption of the platform continues to accelerate, ValuCert™ is attracting growing interest from jewellery retailers, watch specialists, valuation professionals, insurers and strategic partners seeking to modernise the way valuable assets are documented, protected and managed.
With retailers under increasing pressure to differentiate themselves, improve customer retention and generate new revenue streams, ValuCert™ believes the future of jewellery retail lies not simply in selling products, but in managing customer assets throughout their entire lifecycle.
About ValuCert™
ValuCert™ is a digital asset management platform designed specifically for the jewellery and watch industry.
The platform enables retailers and valuation professionals to create SmartReport™ digital asset records that are securely stored within the customer’s ValuVault™. By connecting customers, assets, documentation and specialist insurance providers, ValuCert™ helps businesses improve customer retention, generate recurring revenue and modernise the ownership experience for valuable jewellery and watch assets.
For further information, visit www.valucert.com
