About Us

   Our background

After twenty years in Antique Restoration, conservation and a background in the arts world, we have come to the conclusion that more can and should be done to protect your valuables. We are practiced at quality and preserving heritage and believe that the public could be better served, by both the trade and the authorities involved in stolen artifacts.

We have looked at differing methods of marking objects but most are intrusive, expensive or impractical. (Marker pens for instance can wear off quickly and not everyone has an ultraviolet reader.) We have looked at the variety of documentation systems for valuables: none conform to a standard process, except museum pieces. Consequently the means to identify and recover stolen objects inside or outside the trade, are inadequate and inconsistent. 

It must also be said that information relating to the theft and recovery of valuables is scattered and sometimes secret. There are even some authorities who make charges for searching on their websites. We feel that there should be one central resource with free access, so that anyone, anywhere in the world will have the same opportunity to display their theft or search for an item which has been offered to them.

   The Scheme

As a way of protecting your valuables, all interested parties, the police, insurance companies, and recovery agents  agree on one thing. Photographs are essential.

Since nearly everyone has access to a camera, you can for very little cost, photograph your own precious items. That's the minimum. The quality must be reasonably good and should include close-up details of identifying features such as bruises, scratches, imperfections and makers marks.

We believe we have developed the complete solution for the maximum chance of recovery from theft. At its simplest, we ....

• Photograph and document your valuables : ( based on each of your object's details -  before they have gone! ) - DIVA.
• Provide you with a standardized logbook or Provenance book : ( imprinted with the photograph of the object - for you to keep) - DIVA.
• Transfer, in the event of theft, all this information  instantly from DIVA's secure database to this website
• Transfer, in the event of theft, all this information from this website to our archive site IASA-Online - see below. 
  (This gives the police, dealers, auction houses, collectors, the public or any prospective buyer the ability to see in one central source, if the item they are holding has been reported as stolen).
   

This site is intended as a short-term means of broadcasting your theft. Records will be automatically deleted after three months, but you do have the choice to have all your details forwarded for display on our permanent archive, IASA-Online, again free to search. You will be given a 50% discount on those items if you have registered here first.

To find out more please go to our other sites -