Legal Appraisals

Any taxable estate must have the valuables documented for the IRS. An Estate Appraisal is used in the management of an estate to determine payment of the inheritance tax or for fair division of the estate property among the designated heirs. The estate appraisal is based on the Fair Market Value as specified by Treasury Regulations.

A Divorce Settlement Appraisal is used in the administration of the shared estate and verifies the fair market value of items purchased as collective property. The appraisal helps to facilitate the reasonable distribution of the estate during the divorce proceedings.

A prenuptial appraisal provides detailed documentation of all gemstone and jewelry items being brought into the impending marriage by each of parties. Value of items may be assigned but is not a necessary requirement.

Jewelry that is part of a bankruptcy may require an appraisal. The value used for documentation is generally the fair market value. Values of fair market appraisals reflect the selling price between a willing buyer and seller when there is no urgency between the two parties to buy or sell. Fair market value represents the item’s value in its current used condition.

When donating jewelry to a charitable organization or public institution, the donor may be entitled to a tax deduction. In this case, an official appraisal is required for items or a group of items exceeding $5,000. The IRS Form 8283 must be completed (section B, part I and III will require the input/signature of an appraiser), which we are pleased to provide.