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August 19, 2008

People often think that the most important part of an appraisal is the monetary value, but that is actually not true. Having an accurate and explicit description is the most important and most protective part. A good description will include information that accurately depicts the design, metal and the stones included in the piece.

An appraisal is an opinion based on knowledge gained through education and training, backed up by measurements from technical equipment and reinforced by experience. Appraisals are most often recommended for items worth more than $500. So when you get an appraisal on your precious items make sure you don’t try to save money. A professional evaluation you should expect to pay a fair fee, based on an hourly rate. If you have very intricate pieces it will take longer to examine it, so expect to pay a bit more.
An appraisal should include a complete description of each item appraised, including color photographs for identification and an estimate of the monetary value.

An average appraisal takes about 3-4 hours which means you won’t have to leave it overnight at your jeweler. But if you do leave it, make sure it is insured wherever you leave it.

Once the appraisal has been complete your documents will typically be ready in a few days. Verbal appraisals are fairly common and some jewelers will give you a verbal estimate of an items value, but it’s always best to have your jewelry professionally appraised in case something happens to it.

Posted by Linda at 7:36 pm  0 Comment(s)

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