I am in the Washington DC area and will be purchasing a stone online. I want to find an independent appraiser so I went to the ASA website and located someone in my area. I emailed them inquiring about services, fees, etc. I got a response back saying that they would rather be my "broker" than "appraiser" since they deal in diamonds and can get me a very good cut for ONLY 10% above cost. No mention of appraisal services. This didn't sound right to me at all. Anyone know of a reputable appraiser in the DC area? I would like an initial local appraisal to verify that I receieved what I ordered before I send it out for the more sophisticated tests.