[Connecticut] Estate jewelry appraiser

I am in need of an estate appraiser in the Connecticut area or lower
Mass. regarding jewelry and loose stones for a customer of mine.

Thought I had one lined up but have not heard from them.

Would prefer an independant vs. a jewelry store.

Thank you in advance,
Laurie

National Association of Jewelry Appraisers has a locator service to
find qualified appraisers.

Address is: Home — National Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA)

Hello, Laurie.

I assume that it is to be used for tax and/or probate purposes from
here on out. If not, then it is not a true “estate appraisal” as
defined by the IRS.

It is extremely difficult to locate knowledgeable estate appraisers
who have no vested interest in the ‘value’ they provide for jewelry
estate appraisals, even members of the National Association of
Jewelry Appraisers. Nearly all also work as a buyer, seller,
auctioneer, or broker of such items. True estate appraisals are
especially difficult to acquire, since by their very nature they are
often contested by either a disgruntled family member, creditor, or
the IRS themselves. Guess who gets called into court to defend their
document?

Lee

Hi Bill, MasterValuer has several appraisers on the East Coast. Who
needs what. I can give some specific people to call. Will call them
with an introduction. How’s this is Canada. All the Best, Dee

Also, there are Master Valuers who could help.

Here’s the contact for Dee at California Institute of Jewelry
Technology: JewelryTraining.com: Learn jewelry design, gemmology, appraisal or jewelry sales

She is very helpful and can put you in touch.

Hi

an old Jewish jeweller Maurice Mandelburg, also an appraiser, GIA
Australia etc. I spent many hours in his store

Aladdin’s cave or what?

Told me decades ago, when valuing an opera length faceted Chinese
cherry amber necklace for me, told me to look at the % charged for
the appraisal 1 to 3 % fair 5% or more be careful they are not
inflating the price.

He was surprised the necklace was real and not plastic from Germany.

Valued then $500, paid $200 todays value $2000. I would sell it but
alas my daughter has seen it. So it goes.

Bought it because it called to me, spent my last buck on getting it.
Guess I inherited something from the antique dealing English granny.

So Newbies if something grabs you, take a chance. What is rent and
food compared to a well priced treasure? Take your loupe of course
and do you homework. Recently bought 2 18 kt rings 4 grams each for
$120. There are still bargains if you look. A dear friend bought a
sterling Tiffany bangle in an op-shop for 50 cents she ALWAYS has her
loupe when shopping. I offered her $1 she told me to…

On antiques the Bullsht is classic. I still have the most
outrageous BS piece granny bought. Some little SH
T lost the lid and
broke an ear (ME) LOL

A milk cow with a transfer of Nelson’s ship on it. The dealer, with
a straight face of course, told her this was Nelson’s personal milk
cow that he had on the Victory. Granny was a specialist porcelain
restorer, makes the story sweeter.

She could not resist and paid 2 pounds for it, an outrageous price,
best antique lie she ever heard, the story is priceless family
history however.

Over to you Aggie and your pregnant husband.

I also have a superb antique scarab, traditionally set in fine gold,
my grandfather bought the scarab while an engineer on Egyptian
railways. Lived in his own train carriage. The setting is so
delicate I would not wear it, but I still treasure it.

Hi Canucks my great grand father was the British engineer who
oversaw the building of your trans-continental railway.

We are weird bunch, make the Addams look normal.

Look for bargains they are still out there.
Richard

Mr Cornelius:

It is extremely difficult to locate knowledgeable estate
appraisers who have no vested interest in the 'value' they provide
for jewelry estate appraisals, even members of the National
Association of Jewelry Appraisers. Nearly all also work as a buyer,
seller, auctioneer, or broker of such items.

Your statement maligns and denigrates the many conscientious,
ethically responsible, well-trained appraisers who strive for
impartiality and professional conduct. If you have specific
complaints against someone, I suggest you present your complaint to
the organization of which that person is a member, so that your
complaint can be addressed. Regarding your public disparagement of
many hundreds of honest, ethical appraisers, I suggest you apologize.

Bill Kent

Greetings, I recommend Merle Koblenze. She’s as qualified as you can
get. http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep803r -The IRS does not define
estate appraisals. They do define fair market value. It’s okay to buy
and sell as well as appraise. Just not both with the same job. But
even then, as long as you declare these stipulations in the limiting
conditions, and exercise due diligence, you should be alright.

Kennon Young VT Gem Lab

Bill, I certainly meant no ill will towards any legitimate members
of the independent jewelry appraisal profession. I admire the
dedication and effort that it takes to rise to their level of
expertise. What I was saying is that if NOT being connected to the
buying, selling, or brokering of jewelry is a requirement of the
customer, then they have a very difficult task to find an estate
jewelry appraiser.

In the past I have personally looked for just what Laurie (the
original poster) requested - a knowledgeable appraiser who
specializes in estate jewelry appraising, acceptable to the IRS &
Probate court, with NO TIES to the buying, selling, or brokering of
jewelry. I found exactly NONE, both online and off, within a couple
of hundred miles of my location. I am in no way disparaging
appraisers who are also in the jewelry business; after all, I am in
the business myself. My customer was explicitly looking for someone
that she KNEW would be objective, and would not accept anyone who
could conceivably have any amount of self interest.

Look at the members of any of the professional appraisal
organizations. The vast majority of estate jewelry appraisers do work
in the jewelry business, and are not truly independent of the
industry. This doesn’t make them bad at their job, it just makes them
unusable by a skittish client looking for complete piece of mind.

If you are lucky enough to live within a multi-million population
metro area, there may be some who meet all of the asked-for criteria,
but in my neck of the woods, they are exceedingly rare.

Keep in mind, I am NOT referring to insurance or replacement
valuations - these valuations have nothing in common with properly
done estate appraisals, and are usually not subject to bias, since
there is no way to ‘tweak’ the appraisal value for personal gain.

Lee

http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep8042

Richard Hart G. G.
Denver, Co.

Mr. Cornelius

I am in no way disparaging appraisers who are also in the jewelry
business

By acceding to your customer’s request, you accept your customer’s
bias and you implicitly disparage those appraisers who are in the
trade.

...after all, I am in the business myself.

Exactly my point–your opinion has more weight than that of the man
in the street.

My customer was explicitly looking for someone that she KNEW would
be objective, and would not accept anyone who could conceivably
have any amount of self interest.

Professional appraisers are required to disclose their current or
contemplated interest in any items being appraised.

By acceding to your customer’s request, you legitimize and
substantiate her bias.

Keep in mind, I am NOT referring to insurance or replacement
valuations - these valuations have nothing in common with properly
done estate appraisals, and are usually not subject to bias, since
there is no way to 'tweak' the appraisal value for personal gain.

Is it possible that you are prejudiced against an entire category of
appraisers, and therefore unqualified to give advice with regard to
their practice?

Bill Kent

Mr. Kent:

I am in no way disparaging appraisers who are also in the jewelry
business

By acceding to your customer's request, you accept your customer's
bias and you implicitly disparage those appraisers who are in the
trade. 

Bill, I understand that you are just finishing up your Master Valuer
course, and so are understandably bothered by anyone showing signs
that any appraiser would be anything but above board and beyond
reproach. If your customer wants an emerald, it does not stand to
reason to push them to another stone; they are the customer, and they
want what they want.

My customer was explicitly looking for someone that she KNEW would
be objective, and would not accept anyone who could conceivably
have any amount of self interest.

Professional appraisers are required to disclose their current or
contemplated interest in any items being appraised. 

Required by who? There is no single organization that certifies
jewelry appraisers worldwide, or monitors their conduct. Regardless,
there are always those who will NOT follow the rules they swear to
follow.

By acceding to your customer's request, you legitimize and
substantiate her bias. 

My business is to satisfy my customer’s needs in the best way I can,
not harangue them into repudiating their choices. You act as though
my customer demanded that I not use a goldsmith of a certain
nationality, or a gemologist of the ‘wrong’ religion. They didn’t.
Appraisers working in the jewelry trade are not a protected class.

Keep in mind, I am NOT referring to insurance or replacement
valuations - these valuations have nothing in common with properly
done estate appraisals, and are usually not subject to bias, since
there is no way to ‘tweak’ the appraisal value for personal gain.

Is it possible that you are prejudiced against an entire category
of appraisers, and therefore unqualified to give advice with regard
to their practice? 

No, it is not possible. Is it possible you think that all appraisers
are above reproach? If so, they would be the first vocation to
accomplish that feat. The truth is that there are some untrustworthy
& self-interested appraisers, just as there are some swindling
gemstone miners, poor quality welders, crooked pawn-shop owners,
slipshod plumbers, substandard carpenters, & on & on. ALL fields have
their sinners, as well as their saints. The secret is not to sweep
the chaff under the rug in the name of solidarity, but to keep your
eyes open to know the difference.

Lee

Do we not have an obligation to our trade and profession to act
honorably towards our fellow members?

Why is it so difficult to listen to the simple remedy I stated in my
first post?

By acceding to your customer's request, you legitimize and
substantiate her bias. 

Oh, come now. That’s like saying that if your customer wants
platinum, by acceding to her request, you are ligitimizing and
substantiating her bias against gold, silver, copper, palladium,
paper, plastic…

Noel

Some customers have their remounts done only at “name” retailers
because they “know” that independent goldsmiths steal customers’
flawless stones and replace them with imperfect junk.

In our discussion about appraisers, the customer has the bias that
if the appraiser isn’t completely independent of the trade, he or she
is untrustworthy.

Both biases are prejudicial and are supported by anyone in our trade
who goes along with them.

Hi

Some customers have their remounts done only at "name" retailers
because they "know" that independent goldsmiths steal customers'
flawless stones and replace them with imperfect junk. 

There are dishonest people, even in “name” retailers.

This week I was told about a repair to a diamond ring, stone came
back CZ. The owner however had the stone tested to verify it was a
diamond before purchase and the original ring made. He had the stone
tested again after the repair.

That made for one very unhappy dishonest jeweller, jailed.

This is why I never hold customers expensive stones, measure and
make setting. Customer takes stone away.

When the piece is finished customer watches their stone set.

THE GEM NEVER LEAVES THEIR SIGHT.

The customers like this very much as it gives them confidence about
their precious stone.

WHAT CUSTOMERS THINK ARE VALUABLE HEIRLOOM GEMS ARE OFTEN MUCH LOWER
QUALITY THAN

FAMILY HISTORY TELLS.

I treat them the same as quality gems.

What I hate to hear is “My dad fossicked this and cut it himself.” I
get this a lot with opals.

For a well cut opal I charge $50 to set, for the backyard jobs $250
upwards.

A badly cut stone can take 5 times longer to set than a well cut
stone.

You get what you pay for with gem cutters. I have seen A grade
sapphires devalued because of poor cutting.

“But it did not cost much to have cut, they say. Only $30 a carat.”

No I reply that stone would have been worth say $1000 retail if well
cut. but now it is worth $100.

So it actually cost you $900 to have it cut. Going cheap leads to
crap.

Richard