Get Your Jewelry Appraised!
It’s time to check some of your New Year’s resolutions off your list! Whether you realize it or not, updating your jewelry appraisals should always be on your New Year “to do” list. Most people don’t realize that their jewelry is not as new as they think. In fact, it seems like every time I ask my customers when they purchased a piece of jewelry; they usually say it was a couple years ago. Then when I look up their actual purchase date in the computer system, more often than not, their jewelry was purchased at least 5 years ago. Your jewelry gains 3%-5% additional value per year. It is recommended that diamond jewelry that is over 3 years old should be evaluated for an appraisal update. Other jewelry should be evaluated for an update every 4-5 years. If you haven’t had a certified appraiser update your prices, you could unknowingly be underinsured. If you have a large diamond piece, you’d be ridiculous not to have it looked at for an appraisal update! If your diamond was lost or stolen, you wouldn’t get paid the true value of your jewelry! This is so important that you should set your Google calendar right now to remind you every 3 years to update your insurance jewelry appraisals in Fountain Hills AZ! Go on, we’ll wait. Set up that calendar reminder. Diamonds and jewelry are not only beautiful expressions of love, but are great investments that gain value, don’t forget to protect your investment.
Even if you don’t have your jewelry insured you should still have them appraised. It may seem morbid to think about, but what if you were to pass away and there was no record for your family of your valuables. One example of this hits close to home for me. I had a really good client and personal friend of mine who passed away unexpectedly. Since I was her jeweler for a long time, I had a pretty good idea of what jewelry she had in her collection. It was interesting to learn that the family wasn’t aware of all the pieces in her jewelry collection. Quite a few of the engagement rings, pendants, and earrings I made for her suddenly “didn’t exist”. The family had no official records, as she had lost her receipts long ago. The scariest part of this ordeal was that there were no records of the majority of her jewelry in her estate. I can’t point fingers about who may have taken what, but when people die, the unthinkable can happen. Don’t let your family heirlooms end up on a random person’s finger or in a pawn shop! Keeping up to date records of your valuables helps to ensure that your estate is properly divided among your loved ones.
The moral of this appraisal story is that people insure the things they love, and that have value to them. They also insure that are expensive, and an investment. If you love your jewelry and can’t imagine what you would do if your collection was lost, stolen, or damaged, then appraisals only make sense. Make sure you keep the values up to date by updating appraisals every few years, and have a record of your fine jewelry in your estate. When choosing an appraiser, make sure you choose a reputable store that has a certified jewelry appraiser. Most high end jewelry stores in Fountain Hills, including mine, have either an appraiser on site, or offer yearly appraisal clinics. Beware of appraisals that seem too good to be true, or too inexpensive to believe! A good appraisal will include specific weights and measurements of your gemstones and diamonds, as well as in-depth grading of stones where appropriate. Now that you know the facts, make sure and get your jewelry appraisals updated! If you're not sure where to start, contact us, and we can help you sort through jewelry that we recommend getting a new appraisal for, as well as checking for any necessary appraisal updates.
