Why use us?

Our appraisals are totally unbiased since we are not buying or selling the merchandise we are appraising.  Plus, since we only appraise, you can avoid the problem of leaving your jewelry at the jeweler for weeks before the work is done.  Make an appointment and wait while we work on your precious memories.  You never have to leave your jewelry! 

Why is it so hard to find qualified professional appraisers? It is a very lengthy road to qualify. We take our appraisal tasks very seriously and are devoted to helping the consumer understand the process and to be straightforward and honest. We have proven we have very high ethical standards time and again.

Things you need to know about jewelry appraising

1. Most states including Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, do not require personal property appraisers (which includes jewelry appraisers) to be licensed or require any qualifications to write appraisals.
2. Working in the jewelry business a number of years does not qualify one to do jewelry appraisals.
3. Most people working in jewelry stores have no gemological training.  Just because a jewelry appraiser is a Graduate Gemologist does not mean that he/she have any formal training in appraising or determining value. 
4. Once a person has graduated with a Gemologist or Graduate Gemologist diploma, no further training is required to keep this diploma even though it may be 10, 15 years or more old.
5. Over the course of time, diamond grading standards, forms of Gem identification and new gemstones have entered the market.  Has your "gemologist" kept up with new rules and treatments?
6. There are many different kinds of jewelry appraisals which range from Replacement (usually used for insurance), Fair Market (usually used to determine what an item is worth if it were sold in its current condition and this may vary with time and place), Federal IRS Fair Market (which must be done to IRS standards).
7. Some appraisers may not give an unbiased value because they may be interested in either buying the item from you or selling you a different item.
8. Most replacement appraisals are used at a later date from which they are written and unless the appraisal gives a thorough description of the item, and a picture of the item it may be very difficult to replace it with a similar piece.
9. Many jewelers issue a "feel good" appraisal on an item sold by them.  The purpose is to make the customer feel good by putting a higher price on the appraisal.  But really, they have hurt the customer since they will be paying insurance premium on an inflated price.
10. Most insurance policies are "replacement" policies and not "stated value".  The job of the insurance company is to "replace" in the event of a loss.  If you elect to cash out, the insurer is obligated to give you what it would cost to replace the item.  Since insurance companies are volume customers, they usually get a reduced price on items being replaced, which means you will get less than the appraised amount.  So why pay a premium on the higher value of a "feel good" appraisal?