Jewelry Appraisals
Why are jewelry appraisals so important anyways? They provide two main pieces of information. One. The appraisals let you know the value of your jewelry. And two is they give your insurance company the exact information on each item and a replacement value.
If you do not have your jewelry appraised and insured, why not? For a small price ($45.00 for the first item, $25.00 each additional items) compared to the cost, or replacement cost, of the jewelry, you can have peace of mind. Most jewelry marks an important event in ones' life. And we all know that if a piece of jewelry is lost, the sentimental value is one thing that cannot be replaced. But, jewelry, usually is a significant investment and if lost is fairly simple to replace if properly insured.
The first part of the process is to take your jewelry to your local jeweler that you trust. Then your jeweler will write down information pertaining to each individual item. The color, cut. Clarity, and carat weight (the four c's) of each diamond or diamonds in each piece gauge value. Your jeweler will weight the metal, grade the stones, and assign value to each item. Keep in mind that if you have a "certified" diamond or gemstone that you will need to bring in that information to be added to the appraisal. A good idea is to take a picture of your jewelry if you would like to replace the exact design. Usually for a small fee per picture your jeweler can do this for you.
The second and last part of the appraisal process is to take the appraisal that your jeweler gives you and send it into your insurance company. If you provide your jeweler with a contact person at your insurance company and a fax number the jeweler will usually send your appraisal in for you.