On the other side of the booths from which the customers enter is a set of desks filled with boxes of jewels and small bottles of all kinds. This is where the residents scrutinize – literally – the objects presented to them. Oliver, 20 years of experience in the field, details the method. He begins by saying, “We will first observe the gem with a magnifying glass and look for the hallmark that indicates the number of carats.” A poster hanging in the room summarizes the different markers that allow you to correctly estimate the concentration of gold in a piece of jewelry. For a 9-carat body, the hallmark is its trefoil shape. 14ct scallop, 18ct owl and 22ct eagle head.
But to really be sure of that number, which is essential to estimating a product, we call on chemistry. Oliver explains: “I scrape the gem on a stone and apply acids to the mark I left. According to the reaction, I will know how many karats were made.” Once this check is done, the appraisers weigh the thing. As simple as that. Nowadays, fakes are getting better and better, forcing appraisers to do some kind of investigation. Color, metal hardness, markings, “None of these clues are absolutely certain, but accumulating them helps to have an opinion,” the estimator finishes. Gerard Fisher reacts: “It often leads to disappointment in appreciation. This is also because people often relate to these family things. »
