Appraisals

At Hubbell Designer Goldsmiths, Darrell Hubbell does appraisals of existing jewellery as well as the pieces that we make. When you have something created for you or you buy something from our showcase that has a certain value (about $700 and up) we will create an appraisal for you free of charge. We also update appraisals (this is free for any pieces we created) and do new appraisals of existing jewellery.

When you have an appraisal done, you want the person doing it to have gemology knowledge and appraisal knowledge, as well as the proper equipment to identify what they are dealing with. Appraisal knowledge is an accumulation of experience about the actual value of things in the marketplace as they currently are, in other words what amount of money you could sell something for and what amount of money it would take to replace it. Gemology knowledge means the ability to properly identify and grade gemstones. Darrell Hubbell has both of these things, as well as a gemological microscope and the technology to test the karat of gold. Darrell has been doing appraisals and grading stones for over 27 years.

This is Darrell Hubbell's certificate from the Gemological Institute of America, which he earned in 1983. In all the appraisals we do, we thoroughly look at all details of the piece and state all the pertinent information that we gather clearly. Here is an example appraisal of an actual piece of jewellery we created.

This is a sample appraisal of a real piece, with a fabricated customer name and address. This appraisal is printed on specific watermarked letterhead with our logo embossed in gold coloured ink. Our company name and contact information are clearly stated, as well as the fact that this is an insurance appraisal. The appraisers name is stated clearly, again with contact information. In an actual appraisal the appraisers signature would be found in the space above their name. There are two pictures from different angles to better illustrate the specifics of the piece being appraised. The karat and colour of the gold is clearly identified. The fashion in which the piece is built is stated, for example, hand formed, assembled, cast. The details of the stones are clearly stated. Not all stones require a statement of clarity and proportions, but diamonds always do. The type of setting that the stones are in is clearly described and the different surface textures are described. The total weight of the piece is stated and a replacement price including tax is included. As this is a piece that we designed and created for a client, we identify it with its individual name as well as who we created it for.

A proper appraisal includes enough information for an independent party to come to an understanding of how the original appraiser came to their conclusions about the value of the piece. We also try and include enough information to allow a re-creation of a hand formed piece in the instance that it is lost and the original client desires its replacement.

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