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Yes and No. If you want to make something wearable from the old stuff, yes we can do something nice, but it won’t be a casting, it will be milled or hand fabricated. If you want to use if for casting your new engagement ring, we wouldn’t suggest it. You want your new piece to be perfect and shiny and strong. Old gold re-castings aren’t so wonderful—they frequently have pits and weak spots in them. Plus, old gold is mostly yellow and most people now want white gold or platinum. We will offer suggestions to you that will satisfy your needs in the best way. Can I bring in my own diamonds and have you make my new piece of jewelry? Yes, we can work with your own diamonds. First, we want to make sure that they are in good condition, and will look nice when finished. In other words, we don’t want the finished piece to look anything but exceptional. We’ll tell you when you come in what quality of diamonds you have and would love to help you re-design your new masterpiece. What is the difference between an appraisal and a sales receipt? Appraisals are papers written by a gemologist (or a person engaged in the business of selling jewelry) to indicate a retail selling price at a jewelry store likely to sell that item. For example, a Tiffany solitaire would be appraised at a higher value than a same-grade and size solitaire from say, Blue Nile. If you bought an item from Tiffany, you would need more money from the insurance company to replace it (at Tiffany ’s) than if you bought it from the web. The appraisal would also state the grade, size, style, and other details to provide the insurance company enough information to get a like item if there is a loss of the original. The amount stated will be higher (usually) than the sales ticket amount because of a percent-off sale would lower the price, or the retailer works on a lower margin than others do. You would need the appraisal to state an amount large enough to buy a like item from a store without having to wait for a sale or shop hard for a great deal that may not exist anyway. In other words, it is the current Retail Replacement Value. Insurance replacements should be easy. (That’s why we recommend Jewelers Mutual Insurance.) Sales Receipts on the other hand, are not required to be nearly so detailed. They will include such things as the stock number, date, place of purchase, and possibly the total diamond/gem weight. (Our receipts will state nearly the same quantity of information that the appraisal does. It’s better for you to have that in writing.) Some insurance companies will want the receipt as well. This seems to be so they can only pay that amount—not the replacement amount. If you bought a super great piece of jewelry and paid an unbelievably low price for it, be sure the insurance company goes off of the appraisal—NOT the receipt. Some additional advice on appraisals: Have your jewelry checked and reevaluated each year. That means make sure stones aren’t loose or prongs worn, and make sure the value hasn’t gone up substantially in the last year. If a new appraisal is needed, be sure the insurance company gets the new value. Our policy for appraisals is that if you have an appraisal on file with us (as in--we did your appraisals), you can get a free updated value and date to give to your insurance company. (You must still bring it in for us to check it.) It’s just one more way for us to show how much we appreciate your business. |  |
