(619) 286-6614
Contact Us
Call us at (619)-286-6614. We schedule appointments Tuesday through Friday between the hours of 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM.
We examine and perform all necessary tests while you watch. Your appraisal is finished as a bound report and includes a full description, a digital image and a plot of all diamonds over half a carat. Please refer to the Appraisal Information page on this web sight for detailed information on the extent of our reports.
We work by appointment and in most cases the appraisal is completed and in your possession at the end of your appointment. Each piece of jewelry will be weighed, measured, and described in detail.
An appointment for one to two items usually lasts about one hour. Barring anything extraordinary, you will be presented with the report at the end of the appointment.
It is difficult to quote a cost for services rendered without seeing the item(s). Here are some guidelines:
Insurance Reports - If the intended use of your report is for insurance purposes the cost is $125 for the first item and $85 for each additional item.
The cost quoted above assumes there is nothing extraordinary about your item(s). Most items fall within these pricing parameters; however, if there is any additional cost, we will inform you at the beginning of the appointment.
Estate - If the intended use of your report is for Estate or Equitable Distribution purposes, the scope of the assignment expands to meet IRS requirements and any particular need of the executor or bank trust department. There will be an hourly charge. (See below.)
Estate appraisals require listings of comparable items whenever possible in order to assist the reader (think IRS here) in coming to the same conclusion as the report. These types of reports require more time and research than reports for insurance purposes. A retainer may be required.
Expert Witness and Deposition - We have extensive experience providing deposition and expert witness services. (Please refer to the Qualification page on this web site.) Expert Witness and Consultation assignments are charged on an hourly basis. These assignments vary and often present refined scheduling problems (beginning and ending times.) They are billed in half-day (4-hour) increments. (See below.) A retainer is required and negotiable prior to the assignment.
Consultation - A consultation is done in our office and is billed directly in 10 minute increments. Payment is due at the end of the appointment. (See below.)
All Estate, Expert Witness and Consultation assignments are billed by the hour at $225 per hour. We can provide an estimate of your cost at the beginning of the assignment. The bill is payable when the project is complete and at the time the report is delivered.
Travel - All local assignments outside our office are billed at an hourly rate portal to portal. Please take this into consideration when requesting this service.
Out of town travel is billed at $800 for each travel day and $1,600 for each workday. Travel expenses are billed to the client as well. A retainer is required for all out of town assignments. Please contact us to negotiate the details.
We accept Visa, MasterCard, cash, or check.
San Diego Gemological Laboratory, 1851 San Diego Avenue, San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 286-6614 Email