You have inherited an excellent piece of jewellery and would want to know its actual worth? Or you are an antique lover and would want to buy an expensive thing, but want to ascertain its value first? Or maybe you want to insure your jewellery, so how would ascertain its real value? In all these scenarios, a person who can help is a Gemologist or Jewellery appraiser.
A Gemologist/Jewellery appraiser is a person who evaluates a jewellery item and determines its total worth. Ideally he should have a large education and work background, as the jewellery appraisal is a task that involves precision, attention to detail and a great deal of patience. An appraiser should have love for jewellery and should keep himself updated with the latest information on the jewellery market. He should be able to distinguish fake from real.
Finding a gemologist appraiser in Orange County is not a big deal. You could take the help of search engines, yellow pages or even ask your friend or relative to refer one. Though there are a few points you should definitely keep in mind while hiring one.
Finding a Gemologist appraiser: Points you should keep in mind
Like all other countries, even the USA has an organization which offers education and training in jewellery appraisal, it would be highly desirable if your gemologist has a certification from them.
Gemologist appraiser should be educated and should follow the proper methodology as put worth by “Uniform Standards Of Professional Appraisal Practice”.
Working independently or working with any jewellery store, you could do a little research and background check before hiring the services of either.
Jewellery appraisal is a service that requires a lot of knowledge and knowledge comes from experience. If you want a correct valuation of your jewellery, make sure you find someone who is highly experienced in this field.
Again, reputation and trustworthiness of gemologist appraiser are something you should not ignore. It takes a lot of time and efforts to build a reputation that is flawless. Honesty in such trade is highly desirable. You would want to trust your jewellery antique or otherwise to be in the hands of a person who has a disputable reputation.
Any gemologist would charge a fee for his services but how much is the fee? Is it well in your budget or is it exceedingly high? You need to ascertain this before you trust your precious jewels with him. You could perform a little market research, check the market standards and pay accordingly. Do not underpay and expect a world class job.
You should also be ready to set certain questions that you would ask the appraiser. The questions could range from asking about the certification, area of expertise, experience in years, whether he will evaluate items in the premise itself or you would have to come back to collect it?
To reiterate jewellery appraisal is a task of mutual trust and expertise, you cannot trust anyone with your prized possession. You might want to get in touch with some professional recognized organization of appraisal, they are : ASA, ISA or NAJA, details of which you can find online.