Question for appraisers about forensic appraisals
- Thread starter strmrdr
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I have done and testified in court about forensic work on jewelry and gems. I am not the very last word on every potential subject, but I know a thing or two about treatments, enhancements, alterations, damage, inherent vice, breakage, sources and time of damage, etc.
It takes special knowledge, time and experience. It also takes diplomacy, thougtfulness and time to think before expressing potentially damaging points of view you might wish to retract if you had only thought of all the consequences before expressing an opinion. An expert advocates for the truth and not for the client or a potential outcome. If you can''t give a truthful, knowledgeable opinion, it is better to listen to some other "expert" give theirs. Listen and learn or listen and criticize if you are not certain yourself.
I see many damaging things done by relatively knowledgeable advisers who didn''t look at the larger picture or just think they know it all, when they know only some of it. You have to acknowledge your limitations to yourself and to your clients in order to protect all concerned. Rarely does a week go by that I don''t learn or discover something which I have interest in and didn''t know or rightly understand previously.
It takes special knowledge, time and experience. It also takes diplomacy, thougtfulness and time to think before expressing potentially damaging points of view you might wish to retract if you had only thought of all the consequences before expressing an opinion. An expert advocates for the truth and not for the client or a potential outcome. If you can''t give a truthful, knowledgeable opinion, it is better to listen to some other "expert" give theirs. Listen and learn or listen and criticize if you are not certain yourself.
I see many damaging things done by relatively knowledgeable advisers who didn''t look at the larger picture or just think they know it all, when they know only some of it. You have to acknowledge your limitations to yourself and to your clients in order to protect all concerned. Rarely does a week go by that I don''t learn or discover something which I have interest in and didn''t know or rightly understand previously.
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Forensic work is regularly either court related or part of the preliminary work to decide if there’s going to be a legal case. As David points out, it’s a touchy area and it’s very easy to overstep reporting of the facts and get into speculation about what you ‘think’ happened. Appraising is not a psychic power and just because the client or their attorney wishes something were easy to prove doesn’t make it so. Speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The nature of these assignments and the resulting reports are quite different from the pre-loss insurance documentation that people and jewelers are familiar with.
The most common forensic report that people are likely to come across is what I call a ‘damage report’ although others may use different names. This is a matter of identifying and documenting that an item is damaged, for example that a stone is chipped, providing a recommendation for a course or remediation and an estimation of what results might be expected from the repair. These come up in post-loss insurance work and happily are not usually so adversarial as the expert witness issues discussed above. They can be very useful in deciding the extent of damages when a loss is less than 100% or in deciding whether repair or replacement is a more viable option as well as providing an unbiased and expert opinion on how to proceed. This is an area where most jewelers have very little experience, insurance adjusters even less and professional assistance can be very helpful.
Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
The most common forensic report that people are likely to come across is what I call a ‘damage report’ although others may use different names. This is a matter of identifying and documenting that an item is damaged, for example that a stone is chipped, providing a recommendation for a course or remediation and an estimation of what results might be expected from the repair. These come up in post-loss insurance work and happily are not usually so adversarial as the expert witness issues discussed above. They can be very useful in deciding the extent of damages when a loss is less than 100% or in deciding whether repair or replacement is a more viable option as well as providing an unbiased and expert opinion on how to proceed. This is an area where most jewelers have very little experience, insurance adjusters even less and professional assistance can be very helpful.
Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
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My experience has been mostly with damaged colored stones and diamonds and determining
how, why, where, and when the damage might have happened.
It''s always interesting when we determine that someone isn''t being truthful about
what actually happened. Usually, these difficult matters are put to rest before going to court.
Jeff Averbook, G.G. Graduate Gemologist/Appraiser
"GSI Boston" = Gem Scene Investigation
www.metrojewelryappraisers.com
how, why, where, and when the damage might have happened.
It''s always interesting when we determine that someone isn''t being truthful about
what actually happened. Usually, these difficult matters are put to rest before going to court.
Jeff Averbook, G.G. Graduate Gemologist/Appraiser
"GSI Boston" = Gem Scene Investigation
www.metrojewelryappraisers.com
Richard Sherwood
Ideal_Rock
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Most the forensic appraisals I do involve lost stones, damaged stones, and defective mountings.
Insurance companies are big customers, wanting to know how and why the loss or damage occurred, and what salvage value there is.
It does require specialized training and experience. The gemological schools give some of this, but in large it comes from practical experience.
Insurance companies are big customers, wanting to know how and why the loss or damage occurred, and what salvage value there is.
It does require specialized training and experience. The gemological schools give some of this, but in large it comes from practical experience.
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