Who should I trust?

[Acrata]

I contacted a vendor who was recommended here on PS. I then found an appraiser using the PS list. When I told the vendor the name of this appraiser, the vendor told me he did not trust the appraiser and would have to come with me when the stone was appraised. Who should I trust? (I don't want to name any names on this public forum.)

Also, where can I find reputable appraisers other than the PS list?

 

[JulieN]

Hard to tell you which one to trust when we don't know who they are...

 

[Rhino]

If you're paying for the diamond and bringing it to an appraiser, quite frankly its none of the vendors business. If the vendor is sending the diamond to an appraiser and you are not paying for the diamond then the vendor may want to be more selective about who he sends it to and hence the caution. I've ran into both situations. In the first, as I said its none of the vendors business. In the 2nd *if you are not paying for the diamond* and he's just sending it on your behalf some vendors have weird relationships with some appraisers. I've sent diamonds to appraisers before who I'd NEVER send to again. As Julie stated, its hard to comment when we don't know who you're talking about and it would be in good class perhaps not to name names but as a vendor I can relate depending on the circumstance.

Kind regards,

 

[yssie]

If you're paying for the diamond and bringing it to an appraiser, quite frankly its none of the vendors business. If the vendor is sending the diamond to an appraiser and you are not paying for the diamond then the vendor may want to be more selective about who he sends it to and hence the caution. I've ran into both situations. In the first, as I said its none of the vendors business. In the 2nd *if you are not paying for the diamond* and he's just sending it on your behalf some vendors have weird relationships with some appraisers. I've sent diamonds to appraisers before who I'd NEVER send to again. As Julie stated, its hard to comment when we don't know who you're talking about and it would be in good class perhaps not to name names but as a vendor I can relate depending on the circumstance.

Kind regards,

That's disappointing to read.

Bias - either way - that is thought to affect the results of the report rather takes the 'independent' out of independent appraisal, no? I hope this is not the case for vendors/appraisers on the PS resources list.

 

[AnneinGA]

by Yssie » 04 Nov 2010 07:58
Rhino|1288843272| wrote:
If you're paying for the diamond and bringing it to an appraiser, quite frankly its none of the vendors business. If the vendor is sending the diamond to an appraiser and you are not paying for the diamond then the vendor may want to be more selective about who he sends it to and hence the caution. I've ran into both situations. In the first, as I said its none of the vendors business. In the 2nd *if you are not paying for the diamond* and he's just sending it on your behalf some vendors have weird relationships with some appraisers. I've sent diamonds to appraisers before who I'd NEVER send to again. As Julie stated, its hard to comment when we don't know who you're talking about and it would be in good class perhaps not to name names but as a vendor I can relate depending on the circumstance.

Kind regards,

That's disappointing to read.

I dunno - I don't think that's weird at all, or disappointing in the case of the vendor still owning the stone and having it sent out for inspection. Seems to me when a vendor sends a stone to an appraiser and there is some issue with the appraiser's comments or how promptly they return the stone, there WOULD be legitimate reasons that a vendor might want you to not send a stone to a particular appraiser. Perhaps the appraiser has a relationship with another vendor and has tried to steer clients away from the one sending the stone to the other. I would hope that the vendor would be more upfront about why, however.

However, if you have already purchased the stone, it would be completely up to you and I would worry if a vendor tried to steer me in another direction.

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

I contacted a vendor who was recommended here on PS. I then found an appraiser using the PS list. When I told the vendor the name of this appraiser, the vendor told me he did not trust the appraiser and would have to come with me when the stone was appraised. Who should I trust? (I don't want to name any names on this public forum.)

Also, where can I find reputable appraisers other than the PS list?

In what area are you looking for an appraisor?
What do you want the appraisal to tell you?

 

[Rhino]

I understand what you're saying yssie. What ultimately changed my way of going about this was when an appraiser handed a $35,0000 diamond to a client and let them walk out of their office taking possession of the diamond when the diamond was not paid for and the appraiser knew it. When we are sending the diamond and it is not paid for I am selective about who I am gong to allow to handle my wares. That client could have walked away with 35k of my capital and I would have had little recourse. Thankfully the client was a person of integrity but I only need to experience something like that *once* before I start making policy changes.

 

[Regular Guy]

To the fact pattern you describe, I agree with Rhino.

To your question...

Also, where can I find reputable appraisers other than the PS list?

The list on Pricescope is not really a "vetted" list, substantially, so I wouldn't rely heavily on it. But, you can (try to) search on this board for user's comments and read about their experiences. That is frequently good evidence, and you can judge yourself, more legitamately that way...

Ira Z.

 

[CharmyPoo]

I have said it many times before but the PS appraiser list is just a list. Not vetted by any means - there are some on there that I would never consider using. I have used the services of several appraisers but have been especially satisfied with Richard Sherwood.

 

[yssie]

I understand what you're saying yssie. What ultimately changed my way of going about this was when an appraiser handed a $35,0000 diamond to a client and let them walk out of their office taking possession of the diamond when the diamond was not paid for and the appraiser knew it. When we are sending the diamond and it is not paid for I am selective about who I am gong to allow to handle my wares. That client could have walked away with 35k of my capital and I would have had little recourse. Thankfully the client was a person of integrity but I only need to experience something like that *once* before I start making policy changes.

I was thinking more along the lines of prejudiced evaluations, not outright idiocy. I really hope this isn't a reflection of one of the appraisers listed on PS!


Charmy - good point. Many consumers do not know that the list is not vetted - it is a fair assumption, when we speak so lovingly and trustingly of the various "PS vendors".