A diamond is one of the only purchases you’ll make that can cost a lot of money and you potentially have very little understanding of why?  When doing an appraisal, I love having a GIA diamond grading report to work...

I do a lot of jewelry appraisals mostly for insurance replacement.  I don’t think a week goes by where I’m not appraising a new engagement ring purchased to replace one that was either lost or stolen.  Many of these replacements...

And here it is…the Macdaddy of gem instruments…the microscope!  My MarkV Gemolite is a classic.  Like a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO but way less expensive.  The microscope is used to grade diamond clarity, identify colored stones by their inclusions, distinguishing...

This is an electronic gauge and it’s used to measure gemstones…I probably use this more than anything for appraisal work. I can measure a gemstone then apply a formula to estimate the weight.   It’ll measure in hundredths of millimeters.  That’s...

A lot of people ask how I became a graduate gemologist and appraiser,  and about the instruments I use.  Here’s the refractometer…it’s one of the most important tools.  It measures the refractive index and helps me to identify gemstones.  It’s...

Is the appraiser independent or is she an employee of the seller? Where did the appraiser receive her appraisal training and what are her professional designations? Does she belong to professional appraisal groups? Will the appraiser provide names of clients...