Kimberly Graham, Graduate Gemologist, GIA, Jewelry Appraiser

03/06/2026

Clients can come in with the best stories. This one was sweet. Our client inherited her grandmother’s diamond ring recently and needed an appraisal for insurance. She told the sweet story of her grandmother and her aunt who shopped for jewelry in the diamond district of NYC when they were newly married, circa 1950’s I think. This stunning 5.26 carat diamond came from one of their shopping trips. The ring sat in a safe deposit box for quite a few years before her father presented it to her ‘wrapped in a Kleenex tissue’.

If you have any Kleenex tissues in jewelry boxes, safe deposit boxes, or in any other odd drawers in grandma’s house - look in them! People come in with tissue-wrapped treasures all the time. You never know what you might find.

03/06/2026

03/05/2026

$5000 scam.

Yep. Another one. We see this too often. It breaks my heart. This client was on cruise that stopped in Cancun. She shopped at the port jewelry stores. Was sold what she thought were 14k gold chains. Upon returning she came to us after her local jeweler said they were not gold. And they weren’t. One chain was silver with a gold tone plating and the other chain was pot metal with a gold tone plating. She paid $5000.00 USD thinking gold was a good investment.

Please be careful on vacation. Port and tourist area jewelry stores are highly trained to ‘see you coming’. They capitalize on the relaxed and romanticized feeling you are in at that moment. The free cervesa and champagne add to the ease in which they close sales. Never to see or hear from you again, they happily take your money sending you off with shiny junk.

If this has happened to you let us know. We can write up documentation that could help you reclaim some of your money if you paid with a credit card that has fraud protection.

02/27/2026

These pearls are real stunners!

02/24/2026

This popular and traditional type of jewelry box is on many dressers right now. They can hold generations' worth of jewelry, both real and costume. Treasured memories and stories worthy of being told and passed down.

Do you know what the contents are? Which items are real and which ones are fake? Would you notice if one item was missing, or several?

We can provide an inventory consultation to document your items, separate the real from the costume, and recommend any needed formal appraisals, repairs, or cleaning.

It is important to do this before a loved one enters a nursing home or before home health care providers enter the home.

These consultations can take place in our office or at your home.

Reach out to book this service and protect those family heirlooms today.

02/19/2026

Earlier this month I was at the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA) continuing education conference,in which I am a certified member, and had my Munsell Color Vision test. I was sooo close to perfection in just missing 2 colors, for a score of 4. Which is darn near perfect!

NAJA certified members are held to the highest standards in jewelry appraising. Always ask for a NAJA appraiser.

02/18/2026

I’m back in the office today after traveling and coming back with a souvenir virus that had me down for the last week.

Ben and I hit the ground running with several back to back appointments and a walk in.

Today’s highlight was a vintage gold bracelet with a locket claps I’ve never seen the likes of before. What a beautiful piece. I’ll share some other highlights later, like a significantly rare diamond we are working on at the moment. But this locket was really cool to see.

What’s in your jewelry box that is unique? Let us see it! It’s so much fun!

02/06/2026

Oooohhh for the love of rubies! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

02/03/2026

This last week I’ve been at the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers conference and Tucson Gem show. There’s always more to learn, see and do in this amazing industry. I am in heaven!!!!

01/28/2026

Jewelry is an emotional item. Whether it’s a memory of a loved one, a celebration, or a token of affection, jewelry has emotions all over it. Even those who don’t care about jewelry can be moved when they find out it’s value.

We recently had a gentleman in the office who couldn’t care less about the jewelry itself. What he did get excited about was the value of the gold and diamonds in the secondary market. His inherited items were valued properly for him, documented and he sold them with confidence after our appointment.

We offer knowledge and resources you can trust for your jewelry needs.

01/26/2026

I’ve been traveling this last week to Singapore. As always, I leave a piece of my heart everywhere we go. The people, the food, the culture here….so in love with all of it.

And of course - the jewelry!!! Meeting colleagues and being treated to see and experience some of the most beautiful gems and jewelry was incredible.