Appraisals for selling jewelry

Clients frequently request appraisals to help them sell their jewelry. The appraisal is helpful in certain circumstances, but not in others.  Here is how you decide whether an appraisal will help you sell your jewelry.
 
1.  If you intend to offer your item on EBay or comparable Internet sites, a written appraisal will accurately describe the item and help you establish its fair market value.
 
2.  If you intend to offer your item directly to the public through business or personal acquaintances, a written appraisal will provide a complete description and help you establish the item's fair market value, as well as create required credibility for you in your negotiations with a potential buyer.
 
3.  If you intend to sell your jewelry to a jewelry store, an appraisal will help you determine the item's fair market value, which will help you judge the fairness of offers made to you by jewelers. This appraisal need not be in writing; your appraiser will examine the item, judge its condition and quality, and simply tell you a range of values that may be offered by jewelers who are in the business of buying from the public.
 
4.  If you intend to consign your pieces to a jewelry store, which will then try and sell them to their customers, an appraisal will help you determine a fair consignment price to suggest when you speak with the jeweler you choose to help you.
 
5.  If you are unable for any reason to sell your jewelry, I recommend you consider donating it either to a charity of your choice, perhaps to be used in a fund-raising auction, or to a university's geology or fine arts departments, for the use of their students.  In either case, to obtain a deduction on your federal income tax forms, you are required to attach an appraisal for fair market value of the item.