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Independent appraisal for antique eternity ring

Papillion

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 11, 2012
Messages
60
Sorry if this has been asked before, but how do you guarantee that you're getting what you paid for with an antique eternity ring? The seller is an appraiser and offers their own in-store appraisal. Isn't this a bit of a conflict? Upon purchase with 10-day money back return, should the buyer immediately have it appraised? Is that how it's done? First time attempting to buy an antique ring from a seller that I'm a little bit unsure about.
 

LightBright

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
Mar 11, 2013
Messages
1,563
Sorry if this has been asked before, but how do you guarantee that you're getting what you paid for with an antique eternity ring? The seller is an appraiser and offers their own in-store appraisal. Isn't this a bit of a conflict? Upon purchase with 10-day money back return, should the buyer immediately have it appraised? Is that how it's done? First time attempting to buy an antique ring from a seller that I'm a little bit unsure about.

What exactly do you need to verify? That it is an authentic antique? That the diamonds are real antique? Or that they are the color and clarity you are paying for? Or do you need an appraisal for insurance purposes? Just curious. Post photos.
 

Papillion

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 11, 2012
Messages
60
What exactly do you need to verify? That it is an authentic antique? That the diamonds are real antique? Or that they are the color and clarity you are paying for? Or do you need an appraisal for insurance purposes? Just curious. Post photos.

I'm looking for verification on all the things you mentioned. The diamonds in it are fairly warm, so I assume that the diamonds are, in fact, antique.
 
Joined
Sep 11, 2013
Messages
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Let me preface this by saying most of what I bought preloved is <$1000 so I haven't felt a need to get a formal appraisal on anything. But I would take my pieces to a trusted jeweler ASAP to at least check that the metal is what they said it was; that the diamonds aren't actually CZ; that there are no undisclosed issues like chips, cracks, etc. I'm not too fussed over whether a piece sold as F/VS2 is actually closer to I/SI as long as the price was right and it looks eye-clean, sparkly, and (near) colorless to me. I'm not very color sensitive anyways so that really helps!
 

Papillion

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 11, 2012
Messages
60
Let me preface this by saying most of what I bought preloved is <$1000 so I haven't felt a need to get a formal appraisal on anything. But I would take my pieces to a trusted jeweler ASAP to at least check that the metal is what they said it was; that the diamonds aren't actually CZ; that there are no undisclosed issues like chips, cracks, etc. I'm not too fussed over whether a piece sold as F/VS2 is actually closer to I/SI as long as the price was right and it looks eye-clean, sparkly, and (near) colorless to me. I'm not very color sensitive anyways so that really helps!

I wish I had a trusted jeweler right in my area that I worked with The little local one that had been in our community for years is now going out of business. I had them make me two rings, but I wasn't happy with some of the bench work, and I also found out when I had one of the stones taken out to have David Klaas make a setting for it that the weight did not match the GIA report I was given! So as a result I don't trust jewelers very much any longer. How much does an independent appraisal cost? Several hundred dollars?
 
Joined
Sep 11, 2013
Messages
2,496
I wish I had a trusted jeweler right in my area that I worked with The little local one that had been in our community for years is now going out of business. I had them make me two rings, but I wasn't happy with some of the bench work, and I also found out when I had one of the stones taken out to have David Klaas make a setting for it that the weight did not match the GIA report I was given! So as a result I don't trust jewelers very much any longer. How much does an independent appraisal cost? Several hundred dollars?

Sorry you've had such crappy experiences with jewelers. A good one is worth their weight in gold, aren't they?

In terms of cost for an appraisal, I've seen anywhere from $40-60 for a "GIA graduate gemologist" to type something up, to up $200 for an appraisal by David Atlas (or someone with a similar reputation of being trustworthy). Unfortunately, turn-around time is another issue when you're up against the clock of a return period.
 
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