Beware of Unqualified Appraisers

Jewelry Appraisals

When you need to have your jewelry appraised, there are many issues that you will want to address and the Ohio Gemological Laboratory  will help you through the process. A fully qualified accredited jewelry appraiser performs all appraisals on-site. If you want to watch the appraiser with your precious jewelry being appraised, you can schedule an appointment for while-you-watch, while-you-wait services.

BEWARE of Unqualified Appraisers

You may think that anyone that works in a jewelry store can appraise jewelry. NOT TRUE!!! Unfortunately, there are many jewelry stores that appraise jewelry and they have no qualifications and no formal education in appraising. These types of appraisals DO NOT serve your best interest. In fact, most of these one-page appraisals will say at the bottom, “We assume no liability with respect to any action that may be taken on the basis of this appraisal”. This disclaimer is telling you that they do not know what they are doing. These so-called appraisals from unqualified appraisers do not have enough correct information included in them to protect you in case of a loss. These bogus appraisals will create nightmares for you if you have a loss and file a claim with your insurance company and will cost you hundreds to thousands of dollars in unfair settlement. This will not be the fault of your insurance company but is due to a bogus appraisal from an unqualified appraiser.

The fees charged by these jewelry stores is typically lower because they have no qualifications and no credibility to perform jewelry appraising. These bogus appraisals are not worth the paper they are written on. Remember, you get what you pay for.

Professional Accredited Appraisers

Professional appraising consists of two areas of formal education and training, evaluation and valuation.

Evaluation is the ability to identify and grade gemstones and jewelry. One must be a Graduate Gemologist (GG) from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to be qualified to do this. Even with the extensive GIA training to become a GG, this alone does not qualify one to appraise. The GIA does not teach appraising.

Valuation is the training in assessing a value to an item of jewelry, in the proper marketplace, that has been properly identified and graded. This formal education in valuation is taught by appraisal organizations such as the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) and the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA).

Michael Williams, the appraiser for Ohio Gemological Laboratory, has an extensive educational background and credentials that few appraisers in the country have.

•Graduate Gemologist (GG)
•Master Graduate Gemologist Appraiser (MGGA)
•Certified Insurance Appraiser (CIA)