Module 2: Intake: Documenting Condition, Setting Expectations, and the Job Ticket

Why This Module Matters

Module 1 established that every job on the repair-to-custom-design continuum needs the same intake discipline. This module covers exactly what that discipline looks like in practice: what to inspect, what to photograph, what to write down, and what the client needs to sign off on before a piece ever goes behind the counter. Getting intake right is simultaneously the best protection against a later liability dispute and the foundation for every accurate repair estimate this course covers.

Inspect Before You Accept: The Pre-Existing Condition Check

The single most important discipline at intake is documenting a piece’s condition before accepting it for work, not after. This protects everyone: the client from a store that might (even unintentionally) blame a pre-existing problem on the repair process, and the store from a client who might later attribute unrelated, pre-existing damage to the work performed.

A thorough intake inspection, done under magnification, specifically checks for: thinning metal, porosity, stress fractures, worn or bent prongs, hidden solder seams from earlier repairs, and structural fatigue in the metal generally. For any stone in the piece, this same inspection should note existing chips, abrasions, or identifying inclusions before any work begins — this is what lets a store later prove a stone’s condition was unchanged by the repair, rather than simply asserting it. Rotating the piece and checking it from multiple angles matters specifically because a single viewing angle can miss loose settings, hairline cracks, or residue hiding a deeper problem; the standard operating principle worth internalizing is simple: inspect, rotate, confirm, and document — never draw a conclusion from one angle alone.

What to Photograph, and When

Photography at intake serves a specific evidentiary purpose, and doing it consistently matters more than doing it elaborately:

1. One clear photo of the whole item, establishing overall condition and orientation.
2. Closer photos of the specific repair area and any existing damage, chips, or wear — taken before any cleaning or repair work begins.
3. Photos of hallmarks, maker’s marks, or laser inscriptions, both because they help identify the specific piece and because Module 2 of C7’s estate/antique course already established their attribution value.
4. For any stone requiring close inspection, a magnified photo (commonly using a phone mounted a short distance above a 10x loupe, or a dedicated digital microscope) documents inclusions or existing chips at a level of detail a general overview photo can’t capture.

The same photos, taken in the same lighting and from the same angles, should be repeated after the work is complete — this before/after pair is what actually proves the work was done correctly and that nothing unrelated changed in the process.

Writing Down What You See: Condition Notes That Actually Hold Up

Condition notes are only useful if they’re specific. A note like “some wear” documents almost nothing useful; a note that names a location, a visible feature, and a neutral observation — “shank at the 6 o’clock position shows visible thinning; center stone’s north-facing prong is bent outward approximately 2mm” — is the kind of record that actually protects both the store and the client if a question arises later. This same specificity should extend to what the client says is wrong and what work they’re actually requesting, recorded in the client’s own words where possible, since a client’s own stated concern is itself part of the record.

The Complete Intake Record

Bringing the inspection, photography, and condition-note discipline together, a complete intake record for any job should include:

• Customer contact details and a unique job/order number
• A specific description of each item (type, metal, stones/settings, hallmarks/engravings, size/measurements) — for multiple items, each described separately, not lumped together
• The client’s stated concern and the requested work, in their own words where possible
• Documented existing condition (specific, located, neutral observations) and photos as described above
• The quote or estimate, deposit collected, and remaining balance
• The client’s review and signature confirming all of the above is accurate before the piece moves behind the counter

The Liability Waiver: What It Actually Does and Doesn’t Do

Most stores use some form of liability waiver or repair agreement at intake, and it’s worth understanding precisely what these documents typically do and don’t cover, since overselling their protection to a client (or to yourself) creates problems later. Common repair-agreement language, drawn from multiple real store examples, typically limits store liability to damage caused by the store’s own negligence specifically — not to any and all outcomes — and caps any such liability at the lesser of a stated estimated value or the actual repair/replacement cost. Critically, these agreements typically state plainly that the store is not responsible for identifying gem treatments, filled diamonds, or pre-existing conditions unless the client specifically identified them at intake — which is exactly why the inspection and documentation discipline covered above isn’t a separate, optional step from the waiver; it’s what actually determines what the waiver protects against. A waiver without genuine, specific intake documentation behind it is a much weaker protection than a waiver paired with real, contemporaneous evidence of the piece’s actual condition.

A Worked Scenario: The Chip the Client Didn’t Notice

During intake magnified inspection, a bench jeweler notices a small, existing chip near a diamond’s girdle that the client hasn’t mentioned. Rather than silently noting it and moving on, the correct practice is to show it to the client directly, in the moment: “Before we take this in, I want to point out something I’m seeing under magnification — there’s a small chip here near the edge of the stone. I want to document this now, with a photo, so it’s clear this was already here before any work starts.” This protects the client (who now has a clear, contemporaneous record rather than a surprise later) and the store (which now has direct evidence the condition was pre-existing and disclosed) simultaneously — exactly the kind of moment where thorough intake discipline prevents a future dispute rather than creating one after the fact.

Practice Exercise

Practice a full intake roleplay with a colleague playing a client bringing in a ring for resizing: conduct the magnified inspection walk-through out loud, take the standard sequence of intake photos (describing what each one would capture), write a specific, located condition note rather than a vague one, and practice the direct, non-alarming way of pointing out any pre-existing issue you “discover” before the piece is accepted.

Key Takeaways

• Documenting a piece’s condition thoroughly, under magnification and from multiple angles, before accepting it for work is the single most important intake discipline, protecting both the client and the store from later disputes about what caused what.
• A consistent photo sequence (overall item, repair-area/damage close-ups, hallmarks/inscriptions, magnified stone detail where relevant) taken before work begins and repeated identically after completion is what actually proves work was done correctly.
• Condition notes are only useful when specific — naming a location, a visible feature, and a neutral observation — rather than vague, general impressions.
• A complete intake record includes customer/item details, the client’s stated concern in their own words, documented condition and photos, the quote/deposit/balance, and the client’s confirming signature.
• Liability waivers typically limit store responsibility to its own negligence and explicitly exclude responsibility for undisclosed pre-existing conditions or gem treatments — which is exactly why genuine, specific intake documentation (not the waiver document alone) is what actually determines what protection exists later.