| Its not as complicated as
you might think. Here is the information regarding jewelry purchases and what
you need to know about jewelers, gemologists, and appraisers...
 Jewelers
A jeweler can be a gemologist...but it is
not necessary to be a gemologist to be a jeweler. Jewelers are the fine people
out there who sell jewelry, gemstones, and watches to the public. But for the
most part, retail jewelers are not trained gemologists or appraisers. So simply
because someone has been in the business for 10 or 20 years or more, does not
make them a qualified gemologist or appraiser. Even though it may indeed make
them a fine upstanding citizen in your local business community.
However, since there are many, many
pitfalls in the world of gemstones, such as treatments, imitations, and
synthetics, it should be important for you to seek out the help of a qualified
gemologist for any jewelry or gemstone purchase that you make...before you look
for insurance coverage of that purchase. So after you make your purchase you
should seek out the help of a qualified gemologist to insure that you got what
you thought you purchased. But be very wary of jewelers who both sell and
appraise their own merchandise. If they are jewelry merchants and not properly
trained gemologists, you should be wary of any quality grades and/or appraisals
that they provide.
And for sure be very, very wary of those
discount stores who offer appraisals done before your purchase. You know, the
one's where the price is always higher than your purchase price, and the store
claims to be offering you a big discount based only on the "appraisal" that was
done in advance. These appraisals are nothing more than sales tools. They offer
you inflated appraisal prices on your purchase, and will cause you to pay
insurance premiums far above what the replacement cost of your jewelry will be.
So be careful not to assume that just because your purchase is accompanied by an
official looking document from an official looking gemological laboratory that
you are getting a proper appraisal for use on your insurance policy. Those are
sales tools intended to make you think you are getting a discount...nothing
more. Get a third opinion before you get coverage.
| N There is no such thing as
a "certified appraisal". There are "Certified Gemologists" and "Certified
Gemologist Appraisers" from the American Gem Society. But no one..not the
GIA or anyone else, bestows the title of "certified appraisal" on any
document. The title of "Certified Appraisal" is just a sales
tool. |
 Gemologists
A gemologist is one who studies gemstone
identification and grading. A good gemologist is not necessarily a good
appraiser. But a good appraiser must be a good gemologists. How
can this be? Well, a good gemologist will be someone who is constantly involved
in the study of gemstones. And all too many gemologists get their Graduate
Gemologist diploma from the Gemological Institute of America and never see the
inside of a gem study classroom again. And considering how many changes occur in
the gem and jewelry industry each year, it is not possible to maintain one's
gemological expertise if the last time you were in a gemological classroom was
the last day of your GIA training. So while a lot of people may offer themselves
as gemologists simply because they are Graduate Gemologists, you should look
behind the diploma and ask what additional training they have. Such as American
Gem Society, Gemmological Association of Great Britain, Paris (Texas) Junior
College, or additional studies with the GIA. A good gemologist will be someone
who can show you a proven, ongoing history of gemological study to make sure
they keep up on all of the latest developments in the jewelry and gemstone
industry.
However, not all good gemologists make good
appraisers. In fact, the worst appraiser you can get is someone right out of
gemology school. Why? Because gemology schools teach the scientific facts of
gemstone identification and grading, but not the appraisal and market valuation
of jewelry and gemstones. Therefore, a good gemologist could tell you that the
photograph shown above is a synthetic alexandrite, they could most likely not be
able to tell you the difference in price between this synthetic and a natural
alexandrite. So while a good appraiser must be a good gemologist to be able to
proper identify and grade jewelry and gemstones, a good gemologist right out of
school will not have the experience and knowledge of market values to be able to
provide you with a proper insurance replacement appraisal. So don't just look
for a Graduate Gemologist or a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great
Britain...you may know more about diamond prices than they do if they are fresh
out of school. Look, for someone with an ongoing gemological education along
with several years of experience in the appraisal and valuation of the jewelry
or gemstone item you have purchased.
A qualified gemologist will be a
graduate of one of the following gemological institutes or
organizations:
- International School of Gemology....................Registered Gemologist
- Gemological Institute of
America.....................Graduate Gemologist
- Gemmological Association of
Great Britain......FGA
- American Gem
Society...................................Certified Gemologist
| N A good appraiser must be a good gemologist. But not all good gemologists are
good appraisers. It takes years of experience to be able to properly
evaluate the market values of jewelry and
gemstones. |
 Appraisers
A good appraiser is one who combines the
efforts of retail jewelers to stay up on the latest market trends and prices in
jewelry and gemstones, with the qualified gemologist who constantly studies the
latest developments in the field of gemology. A good appraiser will constantly
be in a study mode to learn all they can about the latest in gemological news
and events, while watching the market trends and prices on a wide range of
jewelry and gemstones.
And perhaps as important as the above is
that the qualified appraiser will constantly study the latest news and
developments in the legal requirements of the insurance insurance in regards to
the insuring of fine jewelry and gemstones. And will keep themselves abreast of
the latest laws government both the insurance companies and the insured in
regards to the coverage of jewelry.
To find a qualified appraiser you
should seek out the services of a member of one of the following
organizations:
International School of Gemology Registered Gemologist Appraiser
American Gem Society.
American Society of
Appraisers
International Society of
Appraisers
National Association of Jewelry
Appraisers
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