The 5 Most Important Things to Know About Diamond Appraisals

A Diamocycle Guide to Diamond Appraisals

Understanding the value of your diamond can be a convoluted or opaque process that often comes in moments of tension or tragedy. That said, it’s always worth knowing the value of your jewelry assets such that you can make the best decision for your finances and your loved ones. Please find below our Diamocycle Guide on Diamond Appraisals, to ensure you enter your jewelry appraisal equipped, educated, and informed.

THE 5 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT DIAMOND APPRAISALS

THE FULL 2021 DIAMOCYCLE GUIDE TO DIAMOND APPRAISALS

THE BASICS: DIAMOND APPRAISALS

What is a diamond appraisal?

A diamond appraisal is the process by which a gemologist or jewelry appraiser assigns a monetary value to a diamond or piece of jewelry. There are 27 different types of appraisals to value a diamond, based on their purpose, including selling a diamond or trying to discover your diamond resale value – so it’s always good to know why and what you’re looking for!

Why get a diamond appraisal?

People get diamonds appraised for a variety of reasons including inheritance, taxes, division of an estate between heirs, appraisal for jewelry insurance, an update on an insurance policy or an outdated jewelry appraisal. If you own a piece of jewelry or are aiming to sell a diamond ring, we highly recommend knowing how much your diamond is worth!

Given our long history in the diamond (and appraisal) business, we strongly recommend getting a diamond appraisal that meets your needs. Knowing what the diamond costs for inheritance taxes, insurance, jewelry resale, or just an estimate are all slightly different appraisal processes.

What are the steps to getting a diamond appriased?

Cleaning. First, the diamond is cleaned, to ensure that the appraiser has a clear and full view of the stone.
Condition Inspection. Next, its condition is reviewed for any damage, and its authenticity is tested, to ensure that it is a real (and not synthetic) diamond.
Measurement and the 4Cs. Next, the appraiser ascertains the 4Cs of the diamond and measures it.
Summary and Report, and lastly, the diamond grader will write a report with their findings and assign a market value.

THE 4Cs OF DIAMOND GRADING

What are the 4Cs of diamond grading and appraisal?

The 4Cs of Diamond Grading and Appraisal are as follows:

Carat: This is the size of the diamond, as determined by its weight. And in case you’re curious as to how much is 1 carat: 1 carat is .2 grams.

Color: While at first glance most diamonds look clear, diamonds actually often have a slight brown or yellow tint to them. The color grade is determined on a scale form D (void of color) to Z (having a yellow tone).

Cut: This is the actual way that a diamond is cut, which is determined by the proportions and angles of each facet. Some standard cuts are: Point Cut, Table Cut, Old Single Cut, Peruzzi Cut, Mazarin Cut, and Old European Cut.

Clarity: This is the prevalence of flaws, inclusions (internal flaws), blemishes, scratches, or clouds that might occur on the interior or exterior of the stone. Compared to a chipped diamond, a diamond that is flawless is rare and incredibly valuable.

What’s the difference between a diamond appraisal and a diamond grading report?

A diamond appraisal will vary based on its specific purpose, and appraisers sometimes tend to overinflate the value of the diamond for insurance purposes or to confirm and inflate the value of a piece about to be sold. If you already own the piece, please note that appraisals do not always reflect the selling price you might receive in the retail market.

As mentioned, we strongly recommend only using GIA for Diamond Grading. A loose diamond or diamond jewellry grading results in a universally accepted certificate or report that insurance companies, diamond merchants, and other professionals in the business can use to determine the value of the diamond. The grading report is conducted by a trained gemologist and rates your diamond on the 4Cs (color, cut, clarity, and carat) of diamonds.

Please note that grading a diamond on the 4Cs can be incredibly subjective, and we urge you, as always, to exercise the utmost caution when having the value of your diamond graded or appraised, and we strongly recommend using a GIA certified professional. Likewise, we encourage you to never purchase a diamond without a GIA certificate or report, as having a report will make selling your diamond or discussing its value far easier in the future.

THE DIAMOND APPRAISAL PROCESS

Where should I go to get a diamond appraisal?

Where you go depends on the value of your diamond, engagement ring, or jewelry. While jewelry stores, independent appraisers, GIA appraisers, and other professionals might all offer an appraisal, it’s important to consider the expert you’re asking to appraise your loose diamond or diamond jewelry, based on the piece.

We would recommend hiring a trained gemologist with GIA credentials who’s well-versed in the qualities that make the piece unique, along with extensive knowledge of the second-hand market.

Here’s a Link to GIA Appraisal Associations

That said, always remember that there’s no shame in asking for an appraiser’s credentials, what sorts of loose diamond or diamond jewelry styles they deal in, their specialty, and why they are best suited to appraise your stone. You’re about to hire them, there’s no problem in interviewing them for the job!

What should I look for in a diamond appraisal?

A Certified and Expert Gemologist. Never be afraid to ask for your specialists credentials or expertise! You want to make sure your diamond’s in expert hands.
A Process That Matches The Purpose of Appraisal. As mentioned, there are many different reasons to get an appraisal and each reason will result in a different process. Feel free to discuss with your gemologist your motives and to enquire into the process, to ensure that they are well matched.
A Definitive Statement of Value with Authorized Approval. Make sure your appraisal ends with documentation that refers back to your gemologist. As mentioned, we recommend using GIA-Certified Gemologists for all appraisals.
A Declaration of Appraisal Purpose on Certificate. This will offer vital clarity as you move forward with the appraisal and your diamond.
A Strong Rapport and Trust in Your Gemologist. You’re trusting them with your diamonds, make sure you trust them fully.

What does an appraisal cost?

An appraisal should cost roughly $50-$150.00 an hour based upon the complexity of the work, the geographic area, and the training and expertise of the appraiser.

Given the uniqueness of each diamond piece, if possible, it’s important to hire an expert who is knowledgeable in the quality of your stone, whether it’s an Old European Diamond, an Antique Diamond, or a Colored Diamond.

We strongly recommend avoiding low rates of service or percentage of value services, for the integrity of your appraisal itself.

Diamocycle Marketplace is a secure marketplace to buy and sell luxury diamond jewelry online through a low-stress process that is easy, efficient, and confidential for both the buyer and seller. <Insert Sentence LInking Marketplace to Appraisals>

DIAMOND APPRAISALS AND MAJOR LIFE EVENTS

What constitutes a Major Life Event?

Diamonds change hands in all chapters of life – some good and some tragic. That said, the moments you’ll need a diamond appraised are often in moments of the passing of a loved one, divorce, the anticipation of remarriage, a gift to an heir while living, or the division of an estate between heirs, or the valuation of assets for estate tax or the equalization of assets between heirs.

During our time in the industry, we’ve found that the equalization of money and jewellery assets can often be simpler than the linquitation of real estate or property. During these moments of tragedy or tension, we simply seek to offer you clarity to the solutions that might be easiest and a guidebook of what you need to know to get the best return on your assets.

What should I do if I gain ownership of a loose diamond or diamond jewelry?

Whether or not you plan to keep the item or sell it, we strongly recommend getting your new acquisition appraised.

Knowing the value of your loose diamond or diamond jewelry will help you decide the best next steps for this new item.

If you intend to keep the item, an appraisal will help you understand the best options and next steps to insure your fine jewelery.

If you are contemplating or planning to resell your loose diamond or diamond jewelery, an appraisal will help you understand the value of the item you have inherited or gained.

How do I unlock and monetize the value of my diamond asset?

While a diamond may have sentimental value or may have been inherited from a loved one or a tragedy, it is invaluable to remember that once a diamond becomes yours, it is yours to do exactly what you feel is best for it.
While some may keep their diamonds as jewelry assets for the future or for adornment, many might find that the best way to capitalize on their assets is to unlock and monetize their diamond by liquidizing or reselling your diamond it as an asset.

While diamond assets sometimes come our way through tragic or disappointing life events, such as divorce or death, the liquidation of such assets can often be freeing and unlock capital to fund a child or grandchild’s education, expand one’s own personal or business horizons, or make possible a lifelong dream. As always, there is never anything wrong with selling a diamond asset – the priority truly is to do what’s best for you.

That said, unlocking capital should always be done with full cognition and understanding of market conditions, asset value, and the proper documentation. Being so prepared will help you capture the greatest amount of potential resale value of your diamond and the ability to use the proper sale channel to monetize as fully as possible. As you look to monetize the value of your diamond asset, we encourage you to stay patient, seek helpful guidance, and wait for a seller whose economic interests are aligned with yours to deliver you the highest return possible when you sell your loose diamond or diamond jewellry.

At Diamocycle, we have designed and cultivated a thoughtful, vetted, and exclusive marketplace to offer our clients the rare opportunity of fully capitalizing on the value of their diamond assets. By creating these industry-vetted solutions, we offer a marketplace where diamond buyers are able to pay less than retail and sellers are able to recoup more than they would on traditional or low-grade or rush secondary markets.

How do I liquidize my diamond assets or protect its value?

While liquidizing an asset or protecting it are obviously two very different processes, both are contingent on knowing the value of your diamond.

Like a piece of real estate, a diamond is a financial asset. Much like you would want to know the value of your home, the first step to interfacing responsibility with your diamond is knowing its value. In the same way in which you might have an agent inspect your home, your first step is to get your diamond appraised, such that you know how much your diamond is worth.

Like homes, diamonds, too, are traded in several different markets, such as fine jewellery auctions, personal sales, pawn shops, and online peer-to-peer marketplaces.

To better understand the pros and cons of each diamond market and/or point of sale, check out our 2021 Diamocycle Guide on Selling Diamonds.

Each marketplace offers its own strengths and inconvenience to a seller. Much like a home, the best way to receive the highest offer for your diamond is to have its provenance, a GIA Report, and an appraisal with a gemologist that takes into consideration your future plans for the diamond.

It is worth noting that the faster you need to sell the item or the more in need you are of the funds, the more likely it is that you may receive a lower price, due to your urgency and shortened timeline.

Much like a home, the more you know about the diamond and the more flexibility you can exhibit as a seller, the higher the price you may be able to fetch for your diamond.

If you’re seeking to protect the value of your diamond asset, we encourage you to get an appraisal of your loose diamond or diamond jewelry such that you can accurately insure your valuables should an unfortunate incident occur.

With an appraisal geared towards insurance, you will receive an estimate that indicates not the value at which you might be able to sell your loose diamond or diamond jewelry, but rather, the amount you would need to pay should you want to replace the item. Given the large variety of appraisals available, as always, we strongly recommend you to understand your goals and long-term plans around your diamond assets and then receive the appraisal type that is best aligned to your goals and suited to your needs.

As always, our goal at Diamocycle is to help you make sense of the diamond industry and to be well prepared to get the best value when buying, selling, or recouping the cost of a diamond that is lost.

As always, we, at Diamocycle, are here for you. Feel free to contact us with any other questions you may have about your diamonds or the process. We’re here for you.

As Always,

Diamocycle