Appraisal Logistics?

[beze]

I am planning to order GIA certified diamond from an online vendor and have it set by a local jeweler whose setting I like. I want to have it appraised for insurance purposes and to make sure it is the same stone I ordered. I have not been through this process before so can someone please guide me how the process works?

Does the appraiser ideally need to appraise the stone before it is mounted in the setting? So should I have the appraiser look at the stone once I receive it from online vendor and before I give to local jeweler? Should I have it appraised again after it is mounted in setting to make sure no human error and setting was done properly and there is no damage from setting? Any other steps/suggestions?

Just curious, what do people do about independent appraisal when the stone and setting are both ordered from the same online vendor. Do they get the stone appraised after it arrives already mounted in the setting? Is this acceptable to the insurance companies?

 

[yssie]

I am planning to order GIA certified diamond from an online vendor and have it set by a local jeweler whose setting I like. I want to have it appraised for insurance purposes and to make sure it is the same stone I ordered. I have not been through this process before so can someone please guide me how the process works?

Does the appraiser ideally need to appraise the stone before it is mounted in the setting? So should I have the appraiser look at the stone once I receive it from online vendor and before I give to local jeweler? Should I have it appraised again after it is mounted in setting to make sure no human error and setting was done properly and there is no damage from setting? Any other steps/suggestions?

Just curious, what do people do about independent appraisal when the stone and setting are both ordered from the same online vendor. Do they get the stone appraised after it arrives already mounted in the setting? Is this acceptable to the insurance companies?

When you get an appraisal done depends on what you want.

If you have the loose stone appraised the appraiser can check that it's the right stone, evaluate it further and tell you more about it than what you have on the GIA report, take photos and run scans document diamond replacement value. Appraiser will be able to do a more thorough inspection of the stone when loose than when set - when set you might get a colour range, a clarity estimate...

If you have the finished ring appraised the diamond inspection will be necessarily less thorough, but the appraiser can inspect quality of setting, workmanship, etc. Give you value and insurance replacement estimates for the finished piece.

If you trust the vendor of the loose stone, and the vendor provides enough documents/scans/photos to judge the stone by, I think it is safe to skip the loose stone appraisal - just have the stone shipped out to you before setting to see it yourself in-person, make sure you like what you see. I still recommend the finished-piece appraisal to A) confirm workmanship and B) get a realistic value for which to insure, most 'verification letters' that vendors send out with the pieces are vastly inflated and woefully incomplete.

When you go in to your local jeweller have them point out your characteristic facet patterns and inclusions with a loupe. Compare them to the GIA plot. Then when you pick up your piece have them do the same, and compare again - best way to ensure that it's the right stone. Reputable outfits aren't going to deliberately switch your stone - their professional reputation is worth far more than the 5, 15, 50k that one customer brings in! But knowing your stone gives you the peace of mind that you can avoid accidents as well.