Appraisal Question - GIA Cert. Needed??

[diamondtiger]

My fiance went by the local jeweler yesterday to get her new engagement ring appraised. They are really nice people and all and my family has dealt with them for years.

Anyway, the lady said that they would need the GIA Certificate in order to do the appraisal. Is this normal? Neither she nor I have ever had an appraisal done so this seemed a little bit odd to me. I thought the idea of the appraisal was to let them do the analysis necessary to come up with their grading and subsequent value for the diamond and ring. By providing the certification, I feel like you''re giving them a frame of reference.

Is this normal? What should we do?

 

[Stone-cold11]

Not normal for independent appraiser.

 

[diamondtiger]

Why would they want it??

 

[diamondtiger]

bump anyone ...

 

[denverappraiser]

Date: 9/16/2009 2:53:45 PM
Author:diamondtiger
My fiance went by the local jeweler yesterday to get her new engagement ring appraised. They are really nice people and all and my family has dealt with them for years.


Anyway, the lady said that they would need the GIA Certificate in order to do the appraisal. Is this normal? Neither she nor I have ever had an appraisal done so this seemed a little bit odd to me. I thought the idea of the appraisal was to let them do the analysis necessary to come up with their grading and subsequent value for the diamond and ring. By providing the certification, I feel like you're giving them a frame of reference.


Is this normal? What should we do?

Normally an independent appraisal on a recently purchased item involves a few fairly predictable questions:

Is this a diamond?
What’s the grading?
Is it the same diamond as the one described on this report?
Has it been damaged or altered in any way since the date of inspection?
Explain all differences between your grading and the grading on this report.
Is there any important information about this stone that’s NOT contained in the lab report?

The majority of these questions can’t be answered without having the lab report in hand. For appraisals that are done with the client present, I will ask them to bring all paperwork they have but will answer the first two questions above before I look at the lab docs. I then look at the lab report and answer #3-6. If the client isn’t going to be present for the inspection I ask them to send all related paperwork along with the piece. The procedure is the same but we don’t discuss it until the report is finished and delivered (usually by email so I still have the merchandise in hand while we're talking about it).

What should you do? If you're uncomfortable with your appraiser's procedures, ask her about it. If she can't convince you that her approach to the assignment is reasonable then find a different appraiser. It's entirely possible that the real problem is just that the salesperson didn't explain what was going on clearly.

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

 

[lookingtosell]

I had mine appraised last year and they did not ask for my GIA certificate.