Anna Lou of London

Most people do not realize just how important it is to have their jewelry appraised until it is too late. If you have more than $1500 worth of jewelry, or have no idea what the jewelry you own is worth, you should probably go ahead and have it appraised. The moment something happens and you have to know, it will be too late. There are numerous reasons to have your jewelry appraised. The process is quick, painless, and can save you a ton of money in the long run. Here are a few reasons you should have your jewelry appraised today.

• Theft
• Acts of God
• Death in the Family
• Insurance Purposes
• Curiosity

It Helps to Know Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it never hurt anyone who wanted to know what his or her jewelry was worth. If you have been collecting jewelry over a long period of time, you may have much more than you think. This is good to know in case something should happen that causes you to need money in an emergency. There were more appraisals of privately owned jewelry in the months between October 2008 and October 2009 than in any other time in history thanks to the global economic turndown. People who had to sell off some or all of their jewels wanted to make sure they knew what their jewelry was worth before selling it. To know more visit - http://www.londongold.com/ Do you have enough Insurance? Your household insurance policy will have an unscheduled floater that will only cover a set amount of extras… jewelry among them. This is usually between one and two thousand to cover items not named in the main homeowner’s policy. If you have more than $1500 worth of jewelry, you will want another policy or a floater, rider, or endorsement added to your existing policy to cover your jewelry. If you go this route, remember these three things.

• Have your jewelry appraised by an appraisal service outside of the insurance company and compare those figures against their appraisers. Insurance companies have a habit of doing things that benefit them, not you. They may appraise high or low depending upon how much jewelry you have and what gives them the best options.
• Do not take offense when your appraiser asks why you are having your jewelry appraised. Believe it or not, the appraiser is always on your side unless they work for the insurance company. If you are insuring your jewelry because of an audit by the IRS, the appraiser will value it much lower than it is actually worth. If you are appraising your jewelry to sell, they will appraise it high for you.
• Have your jewelry appraised every three to five years and submit that information to the insurance company. They will try to pay you what the jewelry was worth when you insured it, not what it is worth, which could be a lot considering the value of most jewelry increases by almost 10% every few years.

Prepare for the Inevitable It is always unfortunate when a beloved member of the family passes away. It is also always advisable to have their jewelry appraised. The financial burden that could arise from their final expenses could be offset by the value of their jewelry. Never feel bad about this if you can help it. They would want you to have and disperse their possessions in the best way that benefits the family that they leave behind. Being Prepared for Acts of God They call them Acts of God because there is no way to predict them and no way to avoid them. An Act of God could happen anywhere and at any time. Be prepared by having your jewelry appraised and insured. You will need every penny you can get and will want to replace sentimental pieces with something worthwhile. Loss of Security Hurts Worst of All One of the most painful things in life outside of the loss of a loved one is the loss of your security. Once you have been robbed, you never feel safe again. Unfortunately, unless your jewelry has been appraised and insured, there is no way to get those articles of jewelry back. Statistics show there is a house being robbed every 19 seconds. The first place a thief will look is your jewelry box and safe. When we were robbed, we thought we would be okay because we had our most prized jewelry and other valuables n a wall safe. The thieves took the wall safe. Peace of Mind These were just a few of the reasons that you should have your jewelry appraised by a professional. There are many other good reasons to do so, including the fact that you may not know what you have until it is appraised. We know of one couple who were sitting on a very valuable ring that they thought was costume jewelry. They paid $10 at a yard sale for an article that was worth nearly $5000. The seller informed them it was a cubic zircon. The seller was wrong. Having your jewelry appraised is an inexpensive way to gain peace of mind. Bio: Drake White - GM at London Gold Jewelers in Scottsdale, AZ always recommends insuring your jewelry privately.