Choosing a Jewelry Appraiser

Do you have a valuable piece of jewelry? Have you had an appraisal? Yes? Good move! If you've had it appraised, is it insured? An appraisal without insurance is worse than useless. If the jewelry is lost or stolen, you're out the jewelry and the price of appraisal!

Sadly, it's only when you've lost that valuable jewel that this becomes important. When you invest in a diamond or other gemstone, it just makes sense to find a jewelry appraiser and follow up with insurance.

Years ago, a woman I know received a beautiful 1-carat diamond ring in a gold setting, as a gift from her beloved. Such a beautiful ring! The stone had a pale yellow color with spectacular fiery sparkles that shone in the dimmest of restaurant lighting.

To make a long story short, her gorgeous diamond slipped off her hand while playing with the kids at the park. She discovered the loss upon arriving home. She frantically retraced her steps, but the ring was never found. She took some comfort knowing she'd had it appraised and insured.

She filed a claim, and was told by her insurer that her “jewelry appraiser” was unqualified, and her claim was denied!

Don't let this happen to you! The world of the jewelry appraiser is a bit more complicated than you might think. Every jeweler is not a qualified jewelry appraiser. There is no single designation of certified jewelry appraiser. There are many areas of expertise.

For example, a Graduate Jeweler, highly skilled in grading gemstones and able to produce a fine piece of jewelry from raw materials, may not be a qualified jewelry appraiser.

It's up to you to determine that the person you select is qualified. So how do you choose a jewelry appraiser? Remember that a qualified jewelry appraiser will welcome your questions! They are proud of their credentials. Here are just a few questions you'd be smart to ask:

1. In what areas of jewelry appraisal do you specialize?

If your prospective jewelry appraiser looks blank or says “All!”, you'd best look elsewhere.

2. Are you a member of a professional appraisal organization?

If the response is “Yes”, ask if the prospective appraiser has taken courses and exams, or if it is a membership only organization.

3. What equipment do you use to establish the value of my piece?

It may surprise you to know that, for example, a qualified diamond appraiser must own what's known as a certified diamond master set, with five master stones. These sets are used to compare all other diamonds with an extensive set of criteria and are accompanied by a certification of authenticity!

A good jewelry appraiser attends ongoing classes and keeps up to date in his field.

So you can see there's much more to the subject than meets the eye. If you have a trusted jeweler, ask him for a referral. If not, contact the International Society of Appraisers (ISA). They'll steer you in the right direction.