Jewelry Appraisers: How to identify a good jewelry appraisal

Establishing a location where to get jewelry appraised can be a tricky test. The jewelry trade can attract its fair share of sharks, con men and wannabes who have no real idea what they are doing, apart from that it is dishonest.

Anyone at all in the United States can present themselves as being able to appraise jewelry. This does not mean that anyone can actually do a good job though, and gullible people are often vulnerable to ‘quacks’, who have no real knowledge of proper methods or the theory of appraisal and do not employ appropriate diligence.

For this reason, it is always best to go to someone who is directly involved in the jewelry trade and a member of a recognized and reputable trade organization. Someone who insists that their experience precludes a need for certificates or official training is to be avoided.

A reputable jewelers is therefore the best location to find someone who can appraise the value of your jewelry accurately, and a cut-rate price being offered should raise suspicions. There are a number of questions that should be held in mind when you are assessing the quality or otherwise of an appraiser.

Always establish whether or not the appraiser is a graduate gemologist, and should also check the credentials of the professional body of which they claim to be a member. An appraiser should also have undertaken proper qualifications and exams to have established their skill levels, and it is always worth checking that these have been kept up to date.

Also try and establish which industry guidelines they follow and how much time they spend each year refreshing and training themselves to keep up with any changes to these guidelines. If they adopt a lackadaisical or unconcerned approach when questioned about these issues then they are probably not the right person for the job.

Expertise in specific areas is also preferable. It pays to have a specialist in particular types of jewelry examine particular types of collection; it would be remiss at the very least to have a watch expert examine diamonds for example.

A reputable and professional assessor will also be using the proper equipment; a microscope by itself is simply not going to do the job. More specialist, professional jewelers’ websites have a full run-down of what an appraiser should have access to, but items include a set of electronic scales, which should be capable of measuring to the carat, gram and penny weight. Additionally, proper metal testing acids and those specific kinds of gravity fluids jewelers require should also be available.