Buyer’s Guide
What to look for when hiring an appraiser.
Six standards any appraiser should meet — and the professional designations that prove it.
The checklist
Six things to demand. No exceptions.
Graduate Gemologist (GIA)
The benchmark gemological credential. Ask for it by name.
Professional Gemological Laboratory
Proper instruments and controlled lighting — not a countertop and a loupe.
Member of an Appraisal Association
Accountability to a professional body and its ethics code.
Does Not Buy or Sell Jewelry
An appraiser with inventory has an interest in your number. Yours shouldn’t.
Never Charges a Percentage of Value
Percentage fees reward inflated appraisals. Insist on flat fees.
Knows the Various Levels of Value
Retail replacement, fair market, liquidation — each purpose needs the right value.
Know the designations
The associations, and what their letters mean.
International Society of Appraisers
- Associate Member
- Senior Member
- CAPP — Certified Appraiser of Personal Property
Gemological Institute of America
- Member
- Gemologist
- Graduate Gemologist
American Society of Appraisers
- Senior Member
- Fellow Member (FASA)
- Master Gemologist Appraiser (MGA)
Accredited Gemologists Association
- Accredited Senior Gemologist
- Certified Master Gemologist
For the record
UGL checks every box on this page.
GIA graduate gemologists, a professional laboratory, association members — and we never buy, sell, or charge a percentage of value.
By appointment · Babylon, NY
Know exactly what you have.
Appraisals are performed in front of you, by appointment, by GIA graduate gemologists. One call books it.