If you are like a lot of us today, you may own several pieces of quality jewelry. They may or may not include gemstones like diamonds, rubies, or sapphires. Maybe you have some jewelry that you inherited from someone that you do not really know the value and quality of. If you do not have insurance to cover loss, damage or theft of these pieces of jewelry, it can be heartbreaking if something happens to them.

The solution for this dilemma is to insure your jewelry. If you bought your jewelry items new from a reputable jewelry store or jeweler, you should have received a certificate of authenticity with them. However, we sometimes buy jewelry from places like flea markets, pawn shops, and other individuals and may not get a certificate with them. Insurance companies require some proof of the authenticity of the jewelry. This is easily remedied by obtaining an appraisal of all your pieces.

The first thing to do is find a reputable jeweler or jewelry store that has the proper qualifications for appraising. Being a member of The Jewelers Board of Trade is usually good proof of this. As in any area of expertise, there are some that are better than others, so a little history of your appraiser might be in order. You could ask for references from other clients just to see if their work is satisfactory.

When you are comfortable with the appraiser you have chosen, these are the things that you will need to make sure are included in the appraisal. Most of the time the metal a piece of jewelry is made from is stamped with the proper caret, 10k, 14k, and so on. Sometimes these markings, especially on rings, can wear down over time and can be hard to see clearly. In this case a jeweler may do an acid test to ensure the caret of the metal.

With gem stones, they will be closely examined for flaws or inclusions. This determines the clarity of the gems. He will also use charts to determine the exact color grade of the gems. He will determine the quality of the gems cut, which means how well the facets are made and the fire and brilliance the gems have. The last thing is the carets of your gems, or how much each one weighs, this is done by measurements. These processes are called determining the four C's.

Along with the facts he determines about the quality of your jewelry's elements, he should give an accounting of how he came to these conclusions in the appraisal. A current market value should be affixed to each piece of jewelry he appraises for you. His and your names should be included as well as the date. A good quality appraisal should satisfy your new insurance company.