9. What information should I bring to the appointment?
An appraisal is considered a legal document. Therefore an independent appraiser should not rely on someone else’s work even if the item has been previously appraised. We start with a clean slate. The only information that will be helpful to us is a mounted stone’s exact carat weight -- if known (possibly listed on a sales slip that you may have). By taking measurements and using mathematical formulas, we can quite accurately determine the carat weight of a stone, without removing it from its mounting. A sales slip or other documentation is useful for verification.
If a previous appraisal was performed by Alpha Gem Lab, by all means bring in the paperwork with your jewelry. We will verify that the item is still as described in the original report, and update the information within a new document. The appraisal fee is reduced substantially, since most of the work has already been performed.
If you have a diamond report from an internationally recognized lab (GIA, EGL, etc.), we ask that you bring it with you. After we have completed our analysis of the diamond, we will ask to see the report. It will be copied and cross-referenced within your appraisal document.
