"Appraisal" gets used for two services that aren't remotely alike, and the confusion costs people money. What happens at our counter is a free verbal market opinion. It's expert, it's specific, and it's the right tool for deciding what to do next.
It is not a signed written appraisal. If your insurer wants the ring scheduled on a policy, or a court wants a number for probate or a divorce, you need a written appraisal from a certified appraiser — a different document, with a fee. We'll tell you which one your situation calls for.
This surprises almost everyone. An insurance appraisal states what it would cost to replace the piece at retail — deliberately high, because that's what the policy has to cover. Resale value is a different, lower number. A $6,000 appraisal document does not mean a $6,000 cheque, and any buyer who lets you believe otherwise is setting up a disappointment.
Old receipts, a prior appraisal, a GIA report, the original box. None of it is required, but any of it sharpens the answer — and a certificate on a diamond can move the number meaningfully.
Plenty of people come in purely to find out. That's a completely normal visit and it costs nothing. If the answer is "keep it, it's worth more to you than to us," that's the answer you'll get.
Gold and platinum content is worth at least its weight against this board. Design, stones, maker and condition are what lift a piece above that line — and that's the part worth a conversation.
Free, verbal, no appointment and nothing to sign — from a bench that's been in this building since 2004.
