Meet George Jetson… His boy Elroy… Daughter Judy… Jane his wife!
Remember the Jetsons and at the time how far-fetched everything seemed. Well with technology we have advanced past the unbelievable Jetson life in many ways; however, I am still waiting on my personal space ship that folds up into a briefcase!
Everything seems to be moving to the internet. You can buy almost anything, do your banking, make voice calls, make video calls, hold meetings, etc. We have become a society that relies heavily on the internet to make tasks easier, faster, and cheaper. This brings up the question: Can everything be done on the internet?
I recently read a blog post, Online Valuation of Jewelery – Appraisal By Sense of Smell written by fellow gemologist appraiser, Adrian Smith from Scotland. Adrian challenges the ability to do an online jewelry appraisal based on a photo and description supplied by the jewelry owner. I wholeheartedly agree with him!
Somethings must be examined more closely. Take for instance medical diagnosis. Would a doctor diagnosis and treat a patient with just a photo and description supplied by the patient over the internet? Would you trust a doctor that would practice medicine in this fashion?
Now I’m not saying that jewelry appraisal ranks up there in importance with your health and well-being, but it does require closer examination with better means than a photo and biased or mistaken description. How can you accurately determine the 4C’s of cut, color, clarity, and carat from a photograph and description from an untrained individual? Photography itself is a skilled profession and is affected by lighting, angle, etc. Sorry to say, the diamond you think you have may not even be a diamond but how would you have known? You probably took their word that it was especially if it was a gift from a loved one.
I encourage you to read Adrian’s blog. He makes very good points that affect you if you get an inaccurate proposal. Are to paying too much for insurance? Do you have too little coverage? Are you committing fraud if you file a claim? What are the consequences when you sell it, then the buyer has their appraisal done and finds out that they got ripped off? What happens if you sell it and it was actually worth much more? Good for the buyer but bad for you.
Do yourself a favor. Until technology gets to the point that you can walk up to a machine, insert your jewelry, and get an accurate, unbiased appraisal, go see an appraiser that is certified in jewelry appraisals. Don’t rely on amateur photography and hearsay.
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Bradenton, FL 34210
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