Springer's Jewelers is pleased to offer the professional services of insurance and estate appraisals to our customers; both on jewelry purchased at Springer's, and jewelry acquired elsewhere. There are two types of appraisals, and you can find which is best for you by reading the information below or getting in touch with us at any of our stores.
The Insurance Replacement Cost Appraisal provides a typical retail replacement cost for the item being appraised, for the purpose of obtaining insurance against loss. An Insurance Replacement Cost Appraisal takes into consideration the typical venue used for the replacement of such jewelry. Our venue is that of a fine jewelry store in the northeastern United States. An Insurance Replacement Cost Appraisal on a "custom" or "designer" piece of jewelry would take into consderation who created the piece along with any labor or "artistic" premiums that the designer would attach to the item.
The customer will receive two hard copies of the Insurance Replacement Cost Document, which contains detailed individual descriptions and value of items, along with photographs. This document includes a cover page letter, several pages of general insurance appraisal information and disclaimers, the descriptive narrative of the item(s) along with photographs and values, a total value of all the items being appraised, and a biography page containing the appraiser's qualifications. In addition, copies of GIA and AGS Reports may be attached, and for an additional fee in the case of loose diamonds, a Sarin Report may be attached. The Insurance Replacement Cost Document will run to a minimum of 8 pages, and will often be 10 pages or more. In addition, if the customer wishes, Springer's Jewelers can email a digitally signed PDF copy of the appraisal to the customer and their insurance company.
An Estate Appraisal provides a value used in the probate settlement of taxes paid upon an item of jewelry, typically upon the death of an owner. Estate Appraisals are based up "fair market value". Defined as an amount agreed upon between a willing buyer and seller, neither being under any compulsion to buy or sell . It avoids the wholesale/middlemen/retailer markup structure that determines a typical retail replacement value. This appraisal is almost always considerably less than an Insurance Replacement Cost. Although there are no absolutes, an estate value will often run between 17-30% of a retail replacement cost.
The customer will receive two hard copies of the Estate Appraisal Document, which contains detailed individual descriptions and value of items, along with photographs. This document includes a cover page letter, several pages of general appraisal information and disclaimers, the descriptive narrative of the item(s) along with photographs and values, a total value of all the items being appraised, and a biography page containing the appraiser's qualifications. In addition, copies of GIA and AGS Reports may be attached, and for an additional fee in the case of loose diamonds, a Sarin Report may be attached. The Estate Appraisal Document will run to a minimum of 8 pages, and will often be 10 pages or more. In addition, if the customer wishes, Springer's Jewelers can email a digitally signed PDF copy of the appraisal to the customer and their insurance company.
Not sure what you need? As always, we're here to help! An appraisal consultation is perfect if you do not know if items have enough value to insure or identify as an item that should be part of a probate settlement of taxes paid upon an item of jewelry, typically upon the death of an owner. This service is not for you if you are interested in what you could sell your item for. For that, please see our Buying page.
Appointments are required for all appraisal services, including appraisal consultations. Appointments are a maximum of one hour long and can include up to 6 items. The turn around time for a completed appraisal is expected to be four weeks.