It’s sad but true – jewellery is lost or stolen all the time. A diamond wedding ring slips off and sinks to the bottom of a lake, a precious and sentimental string of your grandmother’s pearls gets grabbed in a break-and-enter. If you want to replace it, an appraisal is critical to receiving fair compensation in an insurance settlement.
Beyond an accident or a crime, an appraisal gives you the peace of mind that comes with knowing exactly what you own, and exactly what it’s worth – especially when you and your relatives are settling an estate.
Here’s a very recent example from my own life. The mother of a friend died recently. She wasn’t a wealthy woman, but she pinched her pennies and appeared to have collected a lot of valuable jewellery. There was some anticipation around the many strings of pearls and ruby rings she owned, and they looked impressive! And they were very good – reproductions. The costume jewellery was all jumbled in with the genuine pieces. It was eventually sorted out, but not without a lot of unnecessary friction, stress and strain.
For more information, here’s a brief history of the GIA and the 4C’s.
THE IMPORTANCE OF AN APPRAISAL
Appraisals provide you with clear, easy-to-read evaluations, so you know what you’ve got and what it’s worth. The GIA established the diamond grading system used around the world.