“How do I know if I’m getting a good deal?” Trust your jeweler or do your research online. Read reviews of their store, ask friends and shop with a credentialed jeweler.
“What’s your best advice for buying find jewelry online?” Don’t buy fine jewelry online unless you know what you are doing and trust the jeweler. You need to see and touch what you are buying, especially when it’s something valuable. You can use the Internet for research, but for something as precious as jewelry, see it for yourself first hand!
“When should I get an appraisal?” There are different kinds of appraisals for different purposes. The most common reason for an appraisal is to obtain insurance to insure a replacement of equal quality and value in the event of damage or loss. For this purpose, either an Insurance Replacement Appraisal or Statement of Replacement Cost should be requested. The Insurance Replacement Appraisal represents the retail replacement cost with a comparable item. The Statement of Replacement Cost is provided by the actual seller of the item of jewelry and will report the actual selling price based on the normal selling price of that item in that particular store. In general, you want to get your appraisal updated every two years, or if you have a significant life change, like a change of address. Of course the best reason to get an appraisal is if the piece has significant meaning to you.