San Jose
Jewelry Appraisal Experts in San Jose CA
The Appraisers listed here provide jewelry appraisal and gemological services to consumers in San Jose CA. Antique, estate & modern diamond jewelry & watches are valued and included in appraisal reports for all purposes including: Insurance Replacement, Estate, Open Market, Divorce Settlement & Equitable Distribution etc.
All jewelry appraisal businesses listed on JAW:
- Are professional accredited appraisal experts and Gemologists, not retail jewelers.
- Are fully qualified and experienced.
- Have had all of their credentials independently verified by us.
- Are held to account by national and sometimes also international appraisal governing bodies.
Click the "View Profile" button on the Appraisers' listings below to view their full profile. This displays their credentials, appraisal cost, gallery, client reviews, an outline of their appraisal & gemological services and advice on how you can do business with them.


Fine Jewelry Appraisals and Consulting, LLC
Los Altos, California
Carole Richbourg is a Master Gemologist Appraiser® providing thoroughly researched appraisals to the San Jose metropolitan area. Service is avaliable from her gem lab by appointment or if you prefer, Carole can come to your home or office in San Jose with a mobile gem laboratory. Her training in gemology, retail jewelers and jewlery design and manufacture is applied to the assessment of modern and estate jewelry, loose diamonds and gemstones and other items constructed from precious metals and gems.
The most popular reason to get a jewelry appraisal is for insurance coverage. A detailed appraisal report describing your jewelry and its worth... [more info, fees, reviews etc]
Types of Jewelry Appraisals
Only those specifically referred to on this page are described here
Further types will be mentioned on the Appraisers' profile pages as there are several other types of appraisal reports, each with its own particular wording, purpose, objectives and resulting values. For an expanded list of valuation types, go to the Appraisal Definitions page.
Insurance Coverage (routinely requested) - Replacement value appraisals are intended to be used for scheduled insurance coverage of jewelry and watches. The descriptions are usually the most detailed of any appraisal type and include the quality and condition of the item as well as the cut, color, clarity and carat weight (calculated or estimated) of gemstones and diamonds. When appropriate, the age or historical provenance may also be considered as value elements. Depending on the specifics of the item being appraised, the replacement value may be based on the analysis of sales for similar ‘new’ items of like kind and quality or sales of ‘used’ (vintage) items of comparable kind, quality and utility.
Estate Tax (commonly requested) - Estate appraisals prepared to help determine estate tax must meet specific standards outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations and / or the specific regulations of each specific State. For Federal estate tax purposes, the Fair Market Value, as specifically defined by the tax code, is provided based on the methodology and to the level of detail required by the IRS. Recent Tax Court rulings require that these appraisals must meet very specific criteria. This type of jewelry appraisal is very demanding and requires an Appraiser with a high level of education, training and experience in order to help avoid significant tax penalties and possible sanctions by the IRS. Specific value definition and requirements vary between States.
You may have to look outside the San Jose area if you require a very specialized service that may be outwith the scope of a normal gem and jewelry appraisal, or if you require a jewelry expert or Gemologist to travel to another country. Appraisal services such a jeweler's stock audit, Capital Gains assessments and certain types of evaluation for investigations by the IRS or FBI are handled by specialists on JAW but you may need to broaden your search.
Please see the California Jewelry Appraisers page for more options.