April Birthstone: The Diamond
We don’t talk about birthstones every single month, but we love any opportunity to talk about our favorite gemstones. Diamonds are among our favorite gemstones. The diamond is the birthstone…
Neil Beaty is a full time professional appraiser based in Denver
Colorado USA. He”™s a GIA Graduate Gemologist and is both formally
trained as an accountant and as a professional appraiser. He has been
in the involved in the jewelry industry since 1978 and has spent
decades as a master bench jeweler as well as training and managing
others to do the same. His firm, American Gem Registry Inc. does
appraisal and consulting work for consumers, attorneys, jewelry stores,
charities and insurance companies. He is a regular contributor on the
forum.
Last 5 articles of this author
Why Aren’t Synthetic Diamonds Cheaper?
I get questions about this often and thought I would present something of an answer. Simulants are a different thing, and most of them ARE pretty cheap, but colorless and near-colorless lab-grown diamonds are pretty close to the prices of their natural counterparts. This often comes as a surprise, because people ha...
Refunds, Buyback, Trade-up and Trade-in
In choosing a diamond dealer or jeweler, many people are interested in the possibility of trading in their stone at some time in the future. This is part of the value added sales pitch for a significant percentage of the jewelers and evaluating these programs can be remarkably difficult. I’ll try to narrow it do...
What is “Fair Market Value?”
Any statement of value must contain the elements of what something is worth, to whom, when and under what circumstances. An unexplained number is at best useless, and quite possibly misleading. That’s just fundamental to the concept of value and nearly every discussion of value ends up with someone talking about ‘...
The Internet and Sales Tax – A Free Ride or Not?
Can you save the sales tax by shopping on the Internet?
In nearly every case the answer is no.
Shoppers are accustomed to the idea that when they buy something at a store, the merchant will add a little bit at the end that will be identified as sales tax. It ranges from a few percent up to as high as 10.25% in C...
A consumer’s guide to reselling diamonds.
Know what you have.
For most individuals, selling a diamond that they no longer want is a frustrating and sometimes eye opening process. If you’re like most people, you aren’t an expert in diamonds yourself and you don’t happen to own a jewelry store or diamond outlet so you are going to be relying on experts to as...
Why Aren’t Synthetic Diamonds Cheaper?
I get questions about this often and thought I would present something of an answer. Simulants are a different thing, and most of them ARE pretty cheap, but colorless and near-colorless lab-grown diamonds are pretty close to the prices of their natural counterparts. This often comes as a surprise, because people ha...
Refunds, Buyback, Trade-up and Trade-in
In choosing a diamond dealer or jeweler, many people are interested in the possibility of trading in their stone at some time in the future. This is part of the value added sales pitch for a significant percentage of the jewelers and evaluating these programs can be remarkably difficult. I’ll try to narrow it do...
What is “Fair Market Value?”
Any statement of value must contain the elements of what something is worth, to whom, when and under what circumstances. An unexplained number is at best useless, and quite possibly misleading. That’s just fundamental to the concept of value and nearly every discussion of value ends up with someone talking about ‘...
The Internet and Sales Tax – A Free Ride or Not?
Can you save the sales tax by shopping on the Internet? In nearly every case the answer is no. Shoppers are accustomed to the idea that when they buy something at a store, the merchant will add a little bit at the end that will be identified as sales tax. It ranges from a few percent up to as high as 10.25% in C...
A consumer’s guide to reselling diamonds.
Know what you have. For most individuals, selling a diamond that they no longer want is a frustrating and sometimes eye opening process. If you’re like most people, you aren’t an expert in diamonds yourself and you don’t happen to own a jewelry store or diamond outlet so you are going to be relying on experts to as...
