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Finding an appraiser

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silentbob583

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 25, 2007
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Hello,

I am looking for an appraiser in Portland, OR that would be able to go on-site to a jeweler and appraise a diamond. Does anyone know where I could start (besides Google, of course) Is it out of the ordinary for them to offer these services, and if so, is there any place besides online sites such as Pricescope where I could determine if a price is fair or not?

Thanks!
 
Yeah, I contacted Mona and she doesn''t do on-site appraisals. Tough part is the jeweler won''t allow us to take the diamond to an appraiser. I''ve used the pricescope tool, and am pretty sure it''s overpriced, but it''s a gorgeous stone and just want to be sure.
 
Stores are often uncomfortable with on-site appraisals by outside appraisers. A lot of us carry a fair amount of equipment and the whole process can be a bit time consuming if done properly. It puts on something of a show and the process is definitely an intrusion into the typical store environment. It’s more convenient for both them and the appraiser (and therefore cheaper for you) to do it at the appraisers office. That said, if they won’t allow you to get assistance from your own experts, walk away. Make it clear to them that this is a deal killer and they may loosen up a bit.

There are two ways that the jeweler can protect their interests through this. The easiest is to have you simply pay for the stone with a 100% return privilege for some limited amount of time if you decide you don’t want it. Some will offer as much as 30 days but a week is usually sufficient. Check with your appraiser first. Some have pretty tight schedules and you would hate to use up your week just because you can’t work out an appointment. It’s reasonable for the store to expect you to be in a hurry about this because they are getting pressure from their suppliers to pay and they dare not turn over the money until your return time expires. During that week you show it to your appraiser, your astrologer, your mother and anyone else whose opinion you value. If it doesn’t cut the muster you get your money back, period. For any reason. The other way is for the seller or one of their employees to hand carry the stone with you to the appraiser of YOUR choice. They wait while you get it appraised and then personally carry it back to the store. This works nicely for individual sellers or for extremely expensive items but stores don’t like the amount of employee time that it takes up. Obviously this also limits you to an appraiser who is within a reasonable driving distance of the store, which is almost always a problem if you’re looking for an independent. There’s just aren’t all that many of us out there. I routinely find customers driving hundreds of miles or even flying in to get to my office and I don’t recall ever having a store that was willing to do that.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 
Thanks for the advice! The jeweler was willing to set up an appointment if we could find an appraiser that would be able to come into the store. I know that they also have a return policy, so if an in-store visit doesn't work, I may be able to do that. I might also check to see if I can put down a deposit while I have it appraised. I believe they mentioned something about that.

The specs for the stone are as follows:

Round Brilliant
Measurements: 6.19 - 6.24 x 3.81 mm
Carat Weight: 0.91
Color Grade: D
Clarity Grade: VS2
Cut Grade: Excellent

Proportions:
Depth: 61.3 %
Table: 60 %
Crown Angle: 35.5°
Crown Height: 14.5 %
Pavilion Angle: 41°
Pavilion Depth: 43.5 %
Star length: 55 %
Lower Half: 80 %
Girdle: Thin to Slightly Thick, Faceted
Culet: None

Finish:
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Fluorescence: None
Clarity Characteristics: Crystal, Feather

The initial price was $9,300, but my girlfriend (the great bargainer that she is) was able to talk them down for $8482 if we pay in cash. Still, from my own research, I can find other stones of similar specs from online retailers (Good Old Gold, WhiteFlash) for around $6500-$7500. I'm just looking for an appraiser to get an independent opinion on it. I feel that the jeweler is marking up the stone too much, especially for a stone that is > 1c.

Thanks!
 
It’s reasonable that a jeweler won’t let a stranger walk away with their stuff without security in case you don’t come back.
It’s reasonable for them to put some time pressure on you to get on with it and make your decision.
It sounds like your jeweler is being reasonable.

Most appraisers I know charge extra for ‘on site’ service. This is because of the travel time and the requirement to pack and unpack the required equipment. Twice. Depending on how far I have to travel, I charge a minimum extra of $75 for local travel and it goes up from there. It can get a little expensive if you’re just looking for shopping information on a single stone. Aspen is about a 7 hour round trip drive for me and I go there regularly although the clients there don’t seem to mind the price (which is, of course, why I do it) and I’ve gone as far as Brazil and Hong Kong. Others may travel for more or less and some will include local travel as part of their ‘regular’ appraisal service, especially if they don’t have a permanent office.

If the store will agree to it, leaving a deposit and taking it directly to Mona is a good solution.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 
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