Remember, discuss the purpose of your appraisal with your appraiser.  He or she cannot arrive at an accurate value if you don’t disclose exactly why you want the jewelry appraised. And, it’s not impossible to cover more than one purpose.

Then, the all important charges!  You can’t expect professional services without professional fees.  You will get what you pay for. After the appraiser is fully informed about what you want and the number and type of jewelry items you have, an estimate should be discussed before you leave your jewelry or decide to proceed.

Appraisers usually charge an hourly rate or will estimate a charge based on the number of items and/or the time involved in completing the appraisal.  Do NOT accept a charge which is a percentage of the value. This is considered unethical – as you can see the motivating factor here is to appraise “high”!

Just like other things, you can always get it cheaper somewhere else. However, cheaper is not always better.  This is your jewelry. Be careful that you hand over your money to someone who has your interest in mind.  Have a great weekend!    …Dii