Frequently Asked Questions
We are experts, here to answer your questions
Yes. We only have our time to sell, so for any of our valuation or consultation services you should expect to be charged. Businesses that primarily purchase jewelry will sometimes refer to the process of making an offer to buy your jewelry as an “appraisal”. It isn’t. An appraisal is an unbiased, evidence-based valuation for a specific purpose, as of a specific date, that is based on researched market data that is analyzed and formulated into a report prepared by a trained, experienced professional valuation specialist.
The fees for our services vary. We don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach and we base our charges on a sliding scale that is related to the complexity of the assignment. The fees relate to an hourly rate so more complex pieces or assignments will cost more and simple items or jobs typically cost a bit less. We may be able to provide a fairly broad estimate of the fee if you CONTACT US so we can discuss what you want to accomplish and if you provide a general description of the piece or pieces. Our 30+ years of experience will usually allow us to give you an exact quote once we’ve had a chance to see the pieces in person and discuss which service would best accomplish your goals. Some complex assignments will simply be quoted as an hourly rate; often with the maximum fee capped, but that depends on the specifics of the job.
The entire process of appraising a piece of jewelry may require several hours since it involves a very thorough cleaning, metal and gemstone testing, measuring, grading, research, analysis, photography, and documentation. We do our best to return your jewelry to you the same day or as quickly as possible. We don’t want keep your jewelry any longer than necessary. The research, value reconciliation, photo editing and document preparation usually occur after we’ve finished with our examination and we don’t need to hold your jewelry hostage for those parts of the process. Depending on the assignment, our schedule, and workload it may take a few days or a few weeks for us to email your final appraisal report to you. Rest assured that should you need to leave your jewelry with us for a short period, it is fully insured and kept in a high-security safe within a monitored alarm system. However, if you want to expedite the process to as little as "same day" service, it can be arranged. There are additional fees and specific arrangements necessary for expedited service.
We examine your jewelry under a microscope and will point out the unique identifying characteristics that will allow you to recognize your diamond no matter where you may leave your jewelry in the future; for instance, to be repaired by a jeweler. We may even be able to take a picture through the microscope to include with your Service Agreement. We value our reputation and no piece brought to us is worth more than that.
No. Gemologically Speaking does not buy or sell jewelry. As part of the BROKERING SERVICE that we offer we will try to find a buyer for your jewelry and act as your agent to facilitate the sale. Ask us about our acquisition services. We can act as your agent to help you find what you're looking for.
Only you and your insurance company can answer that question. We suggest that an indepth discussion about the claims settlement process might help you understand the limits of your policy. We've prepared a list of possible topics for discussion that you may download here: Questions for Insurance Agents
The answer to that question depends on the answers to several other questions: How are you planning to sell your jewelry? Will you be selling to an individual or back into the jewelry trade? Is the jewelry very old, very fine or very valuable? How long are you willing to work at the process of selling it? If you just want a quick and easy sale then you probably just need cash offers from interested buyers and an appraisal may not be the best way to spend your money. Rather than an appraisal there are other RESALE SERVICES that might help you get higher offers. If the item falls into the very fine or very valuable category and you intend to spend the time, money and energy necessary to find an individual to purchase your jewelry, then an appraisal may be the right choice.
An appointment is required. You can REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT HERE. We have limited space and we can only allow one client at a time into the office. We value our client’s safety and privacy. Because we work exclusively by appointment and we often work away from the office, we do not have standard office hours and may not be at the office or may not be available when you come by.
No. Because there is no regulation of who is qualified to provide a jewelry appraisal, we would have no way to know the methodology used or research performed by the previous appraiser. If we prepared the original appraisal, it is possible that we can utilize some or all of the descriptive information as we update the value and prepare a new appraisal report. Please bring all paperwork with you to your appointment. If we observe something differently than what was written in the original report, such as grading or identification, we can show you what we see and why. Also, if any of the original documents would be of value to you to archive, we can scan and attach them as an appendix to our report.
Probably not. The identification of gems requires careful examination and testing. There are far too many variables for sight identification to be reliable and as professional, highly trained gemologists we know better than to guess. If we were to guess, we would likely be wrong. CONTACT US and we'll be able to offer some advice on how to find the answer.
Our laboratory is primarily equipped to identify gemstones that have already been polished so we’re limited in the tests that we can perform on rough stones. We’re gemologists, not mineralogists and we don’t have the necessary training and equipment to identify most rocks. We do have accounts with well-equipped laboratories that may be able to identify your rocks. This level of testing can be expensive but it is available.
Not really; at least, most of the time. Any investment requires liquidity and the ability to buy and sell in an equitable market. Most private buyers only have access to a "retail" level of the market, even if the seller claims that it's "wholesale". Most private sellers will end up selling below the wholesale market price unless they can find another private buyer; and that requires time on the part of the seller. The markets for diamonds and gems can fluctuate widely and there's no reason to assume their value will increase, at any market level. In fact, for most of the period since the economic crash in 2008, the wholesale value of most sizes and qualities of diamonds has been declining. With some exceptions, the same is true of most gemstones.
Lab-grown, or synthetic diamonds have generally the same composition and mineralogical properties as natural diamonds and are diamonds. They are a manufactured product produced in large factories and in large quantities. The apparent costs of production, marketing and selling determine their price and those costs are currently lower than the mining, cutting and marketing of natural diamonds. The claims of being “green” or “environmentally friendly” do not typically factor in the enormous amounts of electricity necessary to operate the equipment, the impact of manufacturing the equipment, or the environmental impacts of the factory footprint. The environmental impact may be less than mining natural diamonds, but it is not insignificant. As with virtually every manufactured product, synthetic diamonds will always have a price, but not an intrinsic value. That fact makes resale extremely difficult. The concept of value relates directly to supply and demand. As demand for lab grown diamonds increases, the supply is unlimited.
Yes. We do ask that you bring in whatever paperwork you might have since it can sometimes be difficult to spot altered or faked watches and documentation may help. There are many fakes, counterfeits and "Frankenwatches" being sold in the used watch market and it’s important to understand that only the original manufacturer can truly authenticate a watch; we do the best we can and will offer advice on the need for in-depth authentication services if necessary.
It depends on what the appraisal will be used for and the specifics of the items. We are competent to identify, evaluate and value 20th Century and late 19th Century manufactured silver for insurance coverage and equitable division of an estate. Early 19th Century and older hand-made silver requires a level of expertise and market knowledge in that property type that we do not have. If the appraisal is for a taxable related use to be sent to the IRS such as a taxable estate or charitable contribution, contact us as we can discuss the situation.
Not normally. The value factors and markets for those types of jewelry are not part of our expertise. Contact us and we can discuss the jewelry that you have and specifics of which of our services you need.
Yes. We will be glad to come to you if you have a large or expensive collection or if security requirements dictate that the pieces remain in a specific location during examination. We do charge for travel time and expenses when working out of the office and we can discuss those fees beforehand. We have two portable gemological laboratories and can provide almost all of our services at your location. Because we won't be working in the controlled environment of our laboratory, any unique conditions of the location will be disclosed in the final report.
