Appraisals

People frequently contact us for an appraisal to sell their jewelry. We can help you with that, and much more. There are three types of jewelry appraisals:

• To know what price you can sell your jewelry for
• To know the value of your jewelry, often recently inherited
• To insure your jewelry or for an estate valuation

The "I want to sell my jewelry" Appraisal 

Sometimes people will ask us for a written appraisal so they can sell their jewelry. We are happy to help with this! But our experience is that unless the jewelry has a very high value, the sales price you receive may not justify paying for a written appraisal. We will advise you if are one of the few that will be benefitted by a written appraisal.

We will make you an offer to purchase your jewelry and it’s free! We have found that our offers are either competitive or higher than other jewelry stores.  Many times we offer more for nice gemstones and diamonds than others because we specialize in custom made jewelry. Selling your jewelry to a jewelry store is the fastest and easiest way to sell your jewelry, but there are other ways to sell your jewelry.

Appraisal Consultations

Appraisal consultations are an excellent way to learn about your jewelry and its value. People often want appraisal consultations when they have recently inherited jewelry. Others are gifting jewelry and want to know more about the jewelry before gifting. With our training and expertise we will tell you as much as possible about:

• What are the stones? Are they real and what is the quality?
• What is the value of the jewelry?
• What is the approximate age and history of the jewelry (if determinable)?
• How was it manufactured and what stones or parts are original (if determinable)?

Appraisal Consultation Costs

There are two Appraisal Consultation levels at Fox Fine Jewelry. Depending upon the complexity of the jewelry, we’ll advise you on your best match:

•  AGS Certified Sales Associate - $15 for every fifteen minutes or portion thereof
• GIA Graduate Gemologist and AGS Certified Gemologist - $45 for every fifteen minutes or portion thereof

 Appointments are recommended, but not required. If you stop in without an appointment, we can usually help! Please note that on occasion we may be unavailable.

Estate or Insurance Appraisals

Insurance or estate appraisals are formal, written documents by an independent appraiser. Appraisals at Fox Fine Jewelry include a photograph and detailed description of the jewelry, with each gemstone and diamond measured and graded. Our appraisals are done by our owner, George Fox, a GIA Graduate Gemologist and AGS Certified Gemologist. Fox has been appraising jewelry since 1984.  We have a full laboratory on premises in compliance with the American Gem Society, with whom we are recertified annually.

 We often see appraisals written by sellers valuing jewelry at a higher amount than they sold it for. With few exceptions, the appraised value should be the same as the sales price.  Sellers can’t stay in business if they consistently sell under market. Inflated ‘feel good’ appraisals mean the buyer pays extra insuring a value that doesn’t exist. There are some exceptions, notably jewelry purchased during a “going out of business” sale.

Most written appraisals for insurance or estate purposes begin at $125, although some are more. All items are photographed, described and insured while on premises.