It is very important to have your fine jewelry cleaned, inspected and appraised. For jewelry cleaning and inspection, I would recommend doing this once a year. There are a few reasons for this. One, you can make sure that all the prongs are tight and that the diamonds/stones are secure in the setting. A second reason is to make sure that nothing is chipped and/or broken. Remember, diamond is a 10 on the Mohs Hardness scale which means that even though it’s extremely hard, it CAN break. It’s important to know the state of your fine jewelry.
Every piece of fine jewelry should also have an appraisal. This is important for a few reasons. One, if you inherited the item, an appraisal will give you the breakdown of the piece. It’s important to know the metal, stone information, color, clarity and even the current retail replacement value. It’s up to you if you want to insure the piece, but this will at least give you a current value. Another reason to have your jewelry appraised is to double check the quality against where you bought it. If you pay for VS diamonds, you want a 3rd party to verify that they are indeed VS. Remember to update your appraisal about every 4-5 years as diamond and metal prices change and fluctuate. You want to make sure you have the most up to date current retail replacement value (especially if the item is insured!). If the item is insured, be sure to update your appraisal on file with your insurance company.