Jewelry Appraisals (West: insurance, how much, wedding)

[cobralou]

Where is the best place to have jewelry appraised not for the gold but for the item itself.

This weekend I went to the great estate antique roadshow at the Westin La Cantera but all they were interested in was the gold or silver. I called some jewelers and they told me the same thing. I wanted to have a vintage watch appraised so that I know what a fair price is when I do sell it. Please let me know If there is a reputable place I can take it. Thank you

[Penquin927]

I had my rings appraised at Jared @ The Rim. Once a month they bring in a private appariaser. You have to call them to make an appointment and the price is based on the items being appraised. You will receive official appraissal documents for insurance also.

[Inventurous]

You might try J. Green in Stone Oak:
J. Green Jewelers

[Bo]

We had some jewelry appraised at Welcome to Penaloza and Sons

No appointment necessary and the appraisal is done on site. They seemed very professional. Had to leave the items with them for about a week, IIRC, but the report they produced was very detailed and included photos.

[cobralou]

I called up Jared and they said the apprasial will cost between $250.00 and $400.00. I don't even know the value of what I have because it might be worth less than the appraisal cost.

[TexasRedneck]

With all due respect, think about what you're asking for - an expert evaluation of a retail value of an item. That's going to take time and a knowledgeable person to preform it. Now, I do think that $400 would seem high, but I can see $150-250......

[Penquin927]

When I did my appraisal at Jared I had two wedding sets. There were small diamonds in each set along with the center stones. All four pieces were about $550 which I thought was very reasonable for the detail I got and of course the piece of mind that I have now with the appraisals and the insurance coverage. I lost my original engagement ring which I did have insured but it was a blanket not a detailed insured item. Now of course I feel much better about wearing my rings.

[jules07]

Originally Posted by TexasRedneck

With all due respect, think about what you're asking for - an expert evaluation of a retail value of an item. That's going to take time and a knowledgeable person to preform it. Now, I do think that $400 would seem high, but I can see $150-250......

Thank you!!!! As the daughter of a Gemologist, I was always maddened when customers would want my mother's service and expertise for little to nothing. SHE was the one who went to school for that and was spending time on the appraisal. Would THEY work for free??? <steps-off-soapbox>

To the OP, since what you're interested in seeking value for is a "vintage watch", I would suggest finding a watchmaker (you'd hafta search for that) and ask them if they think it might be worth the money to have it appraised. "Re-sale" value is a very different appraisal than for insurance. Unless it is a very high end watch, you may be better off just researching on eBay and the like to see what similar watches are actually selling for.

One thing my Pops always told people when they'd come into our store asking how much something was worth (cuz they wanted to sell it) was "It's only worth what somebody is willing to pay for it!". Sage advice.

Good luck.

[cobralou]

I never had anything appraised before so I wasn't aware of the research put into it, it is true my purpose is to sell it. I want to sell it at a fair price to the consumer since most people have a tendency to over price their items. I will try going through a watchmaker since it makes more sense rather than have it appraised just for the gold or diamonds. I appreciate your advice,thanks.

[jules07]

It does seem at first like it's just a simple "oh yeah, that's probably worth $XYZ", but then when ya stop and think about it ya start to see all the goes into it. And I'm sure you can tell that with a watch it's a TOTALLY different animal than say a wedding set that has gold/platinum/diamonds. If it's a very nice vintage watch (Swiss movement, mechanical) then it'll need to be gone thru also to check for any repairs or cleaning needed, at the very least. Watchmakers are a dying profession (TOATLLY different than the little kiosks that ya see in malls, DON'T take it to one of them!), so it may be tough to find somebody. (My parents had a business partner back in the late 70's to early 80's who was a watchmaker. He retired, at 75 years old, in the early '90's. I learned a LOT from that old guy! ) I wish you the best!