Many thanks for taking the time to read this compact jewelry article entitled 'How to Value your Jewelry at Home or Work'. You are about to discover the intricacies and formulas that highly qualified Gemologists and Valuers are using, right now, to evaluate and appraise gold, silver and platinum jewelry.
But before we begin, I would simply like to bring you 'up to speed' on what will be required. As you know, the art of valuing jewelry takes many years to learn (over five years before you can graduate) and then it takes several more years to gain the necessary experience to 'get it right'.
Gemologists don't all become Valuers because of this high level of study, which doesn't include the expense of Microscopes and Refractometers and Dichroscopes and and and....
In this program we don't even want to explain what these pieces of equipment are because firstly; they are too expensive (you can pay thousands of dollars just for a binocular microscope) and secondly because you are not a trained jeweler, and probably don't want to be.
So don't let that put you off because we are NOT trying to turn you into professionals overnight. That would be wrong of us to even try.
We don't want the Jargon either. Just some simple facts. What we are going to achieve is nothing more than a simple understanding of what you need to know, to at least get a 'Slippery Grip' of basic terms. The hardest part is NOT the testing or algorithms involved but mainly the correct and systematic identification of what your are trying to value. The calculations are nothing more than a natural outcome, which just proves what can be accomplished using the most simple school mathematics. If you can multiply and divide, and add money, you can do this course.
We assume you are trying to get a 'Ball Park' figure on something you own, or want to own, or sell, or insure. Which brings us to the first question.
What exactly is a Valuation or Appraisal?
All of the calculations and procedures done throughout this series of articles are built into our 'Online Jewelry Valuation Self Appraisal Kit' which does all the work for you. Why? So you don't have to. Simple...
You can go to the Valuation Appraisal Centre, to discover how easy it is to value your own jewelry at home or work (The address is listed at the bottom of this article) and discover why we use it ourselves.
This is an important yet sadly overlooked concept.
People, just like you, simply want to 'Know what it's Worth' but that's a very subjective statement. For example:
What's it worth to you?
Does it have sentimental value?
If it does, there is no way we can measure or calculate for that. It's a personal thing.
What's it worth on EBay?
That depends if you are a Buyer or a Seller. At the end of the day the value lies in what two people agree upon.
What's it worth if you bought it from your neighbor?
What's it worth to them or what's it worth to you?
These are two different things.
What's it worth when your local Jewelry Store has a 50% Off Sale? Are you really buying a bargain or is it just another ploy to get your money.
What's it worth if it's stolen?
Does this value represent the true figure?
If you were 'Fagin' in Oliver Twist, what was it worth to him?
Bet Fagin had a different price in mind when he traded with the Artful Dodger.
But what if you were the jewelry owner. What's it worth then? The Insurance company might have a different view to you. After all, they want to replace it as cheaply as possible, while you want it valued as high as you can. You pay the premium for the privilege, of course, but it still remains very loose.
Tip: A 'Valuation or Appraisal' is generally accepted as a price based on Insurance assessment. ALL other valuations flow from this one rate.
So the answer lies in some form of accepted standard which must be based on sound principles, backed by REPEATABLE formulas which can be expected to be 'around the same figure' no matter where you go in the world.
And thankfully, it is. Gold is Gold is gold... right?
The calculations used (behind the scene so you never need to see them) in our 'Online Jewelry Valuation Self Appraisal Kit' knows from your answers to multiple choice questions, exactly 'What's it worth'. Easy eh?
Go to the Valuation Appraisal Centre to uncover the secrets of just how stress-free it is to value your own jewelry at home or work (The address is listed at the bottom of this article) and let the 'Kit' do it for you.
Like humans, not all gold is created equally.
Thankfully. A lot will depend on what part of the world you come from and certainly can dramatically change the value of any jewelry item.
You may have wondered about that VERY yellow gold which comes from the Middle East or Asia. Is it the same as the gold on Sixth Avenue or Hatton Garden in old London Town?
Why is it that jewelers talk about CARAT weight in diamonds and gemstones, but also use the term CARAT when it comes to the quality of gold. Are they the same thing?
We will certainly be looking into that term in an upcoming issue.
You see, when it comes to Gold (this does not apply in quite the same magnitude for Silver or Platinum items) because it comes in more than one color and more than one quality.
You have the typical yellow gold, a green gold, the ever popular white gold which is currently making a bit of a comeback, and the sought after 'Rose gold,' fashionable in Victorian and Vintage Jewelry.
Each of these will have a different price structure when it comes to appraising your jewelry. Nothing dramatic, but a difference anyway.
Yet the bottom line could add several hundreds of dollars to a Bracelet or ring, so you will need to know 'How to' spot these distinctions in metal.
So how do you do it? By using the best tools a Valuer can possess (your eyes) while employing the greatest skills you can learn (how to measure things). Once you have these handy little methods in your arsenal, the rest is just a matter of arithmetic.
So watch out for your next issue of this mini-course, where we'll reveal the single most important consideration when it comes to valuing ANY jewelry.
regards and please watch the road. David Foard F.G.A.A. Fellow of the Gemological Association of Australia and former member of JATVC - The Valuers Council (retired).
P.S. If you are really serious about getting a Valuation Appraisal done quickly and easily with minimum effort.... then go to the Valuation Appraisal Centre to discover just how easy it is to value your own jewelry and reproduce a Certificate on your own Printer at home or work (The address is listed below) and follow the advice given there. Couldn't be any easier.
David Foard is retired ("Ha..." he laughs). He is working harder now than at any time in his life, especially over the 30 years he spent in the Antique Jewelry Trade as a qualified gemologist and member of the Valuers Council. Now he concentrates on the three 'R's of 'Reading' Ritin' and re-ritin articles, courses and producing a free monthly newsletter at his website.
Get all the info now by going to http://www.online-jewelry-appraisals.com/ and follow the links to the Valuation Appraisal Center.