Where to get branded designer jewelry appraised?

[JewelNewbie]

I’m wondering how to insure my designer jewelry, and whether or not I need an appraisal. I have a few relatively common designer pieces (e.g. Cartier JUC, Van Cleef Alhambra) that I purchased long ago and have lost their receipts in a move. Their prices have also gone up modestly since I purchased them.

I reached out to my insurance company and haven’t heard back yet, but I’m curious how others have handled this. Hope this question is okay here since technically my jewelry does have some diamonds in it

 

[oldminer]

You need a trained jewelry appraiser. You can find members of NAJA or ASA in many places around the USA. You may also consider those AGS Members who are CGAs or ICGAs. All of us understand how to research the market to provide you sufficient coverage in case of a loss.

 

[denverappraiser]

National Association of Jewelry Appraisers www.najaappraisers.com
American Gem Society www.ags.org
American Society of Appraisers www.appraisers.org

 

[yssie]

I'm assuming you have no paperwork to indicate authenticity? In that case... The challenge is going to be finding an appraiser who is knowledgeable enough with these various brands to verify (for himself or herself) that your piece is authentic. Once your appraiser feels comfortable with authenticity - it's just a matter of writing current retail from the website onto the appraisal document as the "retail replacement value"

What price range(s) are these pieces in? All the bigger brands offer verification services - for a pretty penny and a good long wait, but that might be worth it to you for very high value goods. This is infallible and unassailable proof of authenticity.

Alternatively, you could have your pieces serviced in a way that yields a receipt and a description of servicing. Brands won't service non-authentic pieces (excluding the one-in-a-million oopsie) so the servicing receipt provides practical assurance of authenticity.

Or... You can search for an appraiser who's comfy just taking you at your word. There's a fair number of that sort out there. Shrug.

 

[JewelNewbie]

I'm assuming you have no paperwork to indicate authenticity? In that case... The challenge is going to be finding an appraiser who is knowledgeable enough with these various brands to verify (for himself or herself) that your piece is authentic. Once your appraiser feels comfortable with authenticity - it's just a matter of writing current retail from the website onto the appraisal document as the "retail replacement value"

What price range(s) are these pieces in? All the bigger brands offer verification services - for a pretty penny and a good long wait, but that might be worth it to you for very high value goods. This is infallible and unassailable proof of authenticity.

Alternatively, you could have your pieces serviced in a way that yields a receipt and a description of servicing. Brands won't service non-authentic pieces (excluding the one-in-a-million oopsie) so the servicing receipt provides practical assurance of authenticity.

Or... You can search for an appraiser who's comfy just taking you at your word. There's a fair number of that sort out there. Shrug.

Thank you! This is helpful advice. Somehow I still have the certificates that came with the pieces,
But I can’t find the receipts. I probably won’t go through the trouble of having the brands appraise them as they are not ultra valuable or high jewelry, but it’s a good consideration to have them serviced by the brand. I’ll do some research on appraisers in the meantime. Thank you for your response!