Question about NA-GL??

[SuperSparkly]

Hello Fellow PriceScopers

This is my first post, although I have been lurking for quite some time!

I have been looking in a local jewelry shop that has antique and vintage rings and many of them come with grading certificates. I've certainly heard of GIA, AGL and EGL, but I have never heard of the North American Gemological Laboratory (though this certainly could be do to my own inexperience).

Is this a reputable grader? I just don't know enough quite yet, hence my question. Many thanks for any info you have!

 

[MollyMalone]

It's an independent appraisal service, not a dedicated gemological "laboratory", as we think of that. The founder, Thomas B. Elliott, is listed in the independent Appraisers roster (albeit with outdated web site link), which appears under the Resources tab near the top of your screen. His credentials & summary of professional experience can be found here:
http://www.na-gl.com/about.html

The Yelp reviews are fine.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/north-american-gemological-laboratory-bellevue

Unless you're considering a piece of jewelry with purportedly a rare and expensive stone, like alexandrite, or one where the colored stone's precise level of treatment is important to you, seems as if this independent appraiser would be a reliable assessor of estate jewelry merchandise.