"Independent" Appraiser

[DoctorZ]

I really like the idea of picking out a few diamonds (perhaps from different vendors) and having them sent to an appraiser for comparison. Do you know if vendors are willing to send more than one of their diamonds?

Also, how am I so sure that the appraiser is not connected with the store. In other words, how can I ensure that the appraiser is truly independent? There is something suspicious about having to pick an independent appraiser from a list that is provided on the vendors website. Can I send the diamond to the appraiser of my choice?

 

[niceice]

Most of us are probably willing to send one or two diamonds to an independent appraiser if the customer is straightforward in their approach and willing to pay round trip Fed Ex shipping for the stones so that the inventory is not kept out of circulation for any longer than necessary. However you might consider simply flying out to view the diamonds in-person since the cost of shipping can add up pretty fast... We don't think you have to worry about the appraisers being in colusion with the dealers, most of us have had differences of opinion with the various appraisers regarding the characteristics of the diamonds that have been sent to them for evaluation from time-to-time... Personally, we expect it because diamond grading is subjective and everybody has a difference in opinion now and then... If you work with a dealer who actually has their inventory in-house then it is less likely for you to need to have several stones sent out to an appraiser and to pay for each of those diamonds to be evaluated because that dealer can provide you with an actual opinion of the stones and compare them side-by-side to help narrow down the possibilities for you... Dealers who merely sell off a republished list really can't do this because all they have to go by are the various pieces of paper...

 

[Richard Sherwood]

-----------
There is something suspicious about having to pick
an independent appraiser from a list that is
provided on the vendors website. Can I send the
diamond to the appraiser of my choice?
-----------

If you're talking about the list of appraisers listed on PriceScope, I should point out that PriceScope is not a vendor, but rather a "meeting place" of vendors and consumers. The appraisers listed are not recommended by any particular vendor, but by PriceScope, who has nothing to gain by you using any particular appraiser.

You can ask to have the diamond sent to any appraiser of your choice, and the vendor might be happy to do so if the appraiser is known to him as a credible individual.

Sometimes people don't realize the tremendous risk a vendor takes when they send a diamond out. Thousands of dollars rest upon the decision. If I were a vendor, and didn't know anything about the appraiser, I would be reluctant to send a diamond to him.

 

[niceice]

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On 6/25/2003 6:49:32 AM Richard Sherwood wrote:

Sometimes people don't realize the tremendous risk a vendor takes when they send a diamond out. Thousands of dollars rest upon the decision. If I were a vendor, and didn't know anything about the appraiser, I would be reluctant to send a diamond to him.

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The good news is that most of the appraisers you'll find listed here on Price Scope have already been checked out by most of the vendors who list diamonds for sale using the Price Scope search engine, but what Richard says is true, if a vendor can't authenticate the identity of an appraiser and is unable to confirm their reputation within the industry as being credible then they aren't going to send the diamond out to that appraiser for evaluation...