Evaluation of jewelry for insurance appraisals is one of the services Ketterman's offers. An insurance appraisal value is an estimate of the highest replacement value of a jewelry piece in case of theft or loss. We often appraise pieces that are not from our store. Sometimes they are family pieces, or jewelry that needs an updated value, but often they are new pieces. When we are presented with a brand new jewelry piece to be appraised, one of two cases is usually true; the seller did not provide an appraisal, or the seller did provide an appraisal and the purchaser is checking their facts to make sure they got what they paid for. 
As for the first possibility, when jewelry pieces of an insurable value are purchased from Ketterman's, an appraisal is included as part of the purchase. We believe our customers should know exactly what it is they are purchasing, and when they are trusting us with such a significant purchase that it is our responsibility to provide the necessary paperwork to properly insure their new piece, so they can wear it and enjoy it with peace of mind.
In the second scenario, we are thankful that customers trust Ketterman's enough to evaluate their pieces, but confused as to why they made a purchase from someone that they don't trust enough to take at their word. Unfortunately, there are instances where the piece purchased is evaluated at a lower dollar amount that what was paid. This is not news that we like to present, and often there is little or no recourse for the customer.
There have been several articles and news stories recently about what to do (and not to do) when in the market for a diamond or fine jewelry and a common theme is, know who you're buying from. The best way to do this to ask people you know and trust to share their experiences with you, then do your own research to make sure you can have a similar (good) experience.
At Ketterman's, we agree that jewelry is all about relationships. You wouldn't buy fine jewelry for someone you've never met, so why would you buy fine jewelry from someone you've never met? There is no better way to have peace of mind when making a purchase than to know the people behind the product. There is a relationship that begins at the time of purchase, and that relationship should carry on throughout the lifetime of your jewelry.
If the Ring Fits...
Ketterman's in Leesburg has been in business long enough now to see the wonderful fruits of long-lasting relationships. One of our favorite things is serving the "next generation" to fulfill their jewelry needs. So often we have customers come in and show us the piece the purchased in Vienna 40-plus years ago, or bring in their sons (or future sons-in-law) engagement ring shopping because they got their ring from Ketterman's "X" years ago. These are the kinds of relationships we strive to uphold and are proud to be a part of.
