Where should I get my jewelry appraised?

December 19, 2004 4:32 PM

Jewelry appraisal : I have a rather unique piece of jewelry that I'd like to get appraised to find out what the gemstone is, and possibly the origins of the piece. What kind of place should I go to? Any specific questions I should ask? What should an appraisal cost? Thanks in advance.
posted by littlegirlblue to shopping (3 comments total)

hi LGB, I would go to a large, recognized, high-end jewellery store that provides appraisal services. I've done this in the past, when I brought back jewellery from Latin America. I wanted a recognized 'name' doing the appraising, so that there would not be any discussion with the insurance company if - horrors! - I were to make a claim some years later. And, I would want someone that is well-trained and well-respected to do this work.

I had to leave the necklace and the ring behind for a few days, while Birks (in Canada) did the appraisal. The appraisal was (iirc) $50 and they gave me a certificate describing the items, and assigning a value to each item. And of course they gave the jewels back too ;). The appraised value for each item was a nice surprise - about 2x and 5x more than what I paid in Chile and Mexico for the two pieces.
posted by seawallrunner at 8:19 AM on December 20, 2004

A locally-owned (not chain) upscale jewelry store near me has an appraiser come in twice a month or so. My experience was pretty similar to seawallrunner's. (My Colombian and Peruvian pieces appraised for at least 3X what I paid for them.)
posted by Alylex at 10:49 AM on December 20, 2004

thanks for the info.

off to the appraiser's! I found a good one here locally based on your tips.
posted by littlegirlblue at 5:00 PM on December 20, 2004