Martin Fuller Appraisals LLC

Very well. Friendly and efficient.

Excellently

Excellent. He was very thorough and professional. He also cleaned my rings for free, and pointed out that several of the stones were loose. Got to see him pretty quickly. He told me more things about my jewelry which I had inherited than I ever would have known.

Exceptional in all respects. Very knowledgeable and helpful.

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The whole experience was excellent - Martin met me and gave me his undivided attention for over an hour, meanwhile interacting and providing me an education about what I had bought that I did not get from the various jewelers that I had visited while researching the purchase.  He was easy to talk to, personable and never seemed rushed or distracted.  It was a great experience.  I only wish I had gone to see him before I bought the diamond, as I understand it he also provides educational services which I think any guy looking to buy a diamond would be smart to invest in.  While I got about the same thing myself from jewelers, for one thing I felt like I was wasting/abusing their time since I wasn't ready to buy, and of course it was impossible to know if I was being educated or just sold, when talking to a salesman.  After visiting 5 jewelers and taking all their advice into account, I ended up with a good idea of what to buy, but that was a lot more time and thus expense than going to Martin first would have been.

The office was extremely professional and helpful. A true education about jewelry reviewed its worth, rating, and why. A great experience.

My wife and I had had acquired jewelry over the years including some inherited from grandparents.  We really had no idea what appropriate or accurate insurance would be.  I needed some idea of the replacement cost for peace of mind.  
I contacted Martin Fuller Appraisals due to their high reviews on Angie's List and I was not disappointed.   Martin Fuller's staff was very polite and pleasant, and they provided several possible appointment times.   The office itself is in a very pleasant office park in Northern Virginia.   Martin  explained the process to us, offered us a 15 or 20 minute consultation after viewing the jewelry pieces to be appraised and gave us an estimate on his hourly rate.   Martin then did the appraisal of the jewelry my wife and I can't live without (our wedding rings) while we sat in his office and asked questions.   I learned how jewelers / appraisers determine the gold content in a ring.  We even learned about a few weird repairs that were undertaken on our inherited jewelry that we never would have known about.  He then did an intake catalog of the jewelry we were leaving with him (which was a color digital photograph and printout so we knew exactly what we were going to pick up).  
Martin's staff contacted us about a week later for pickup.   Martin then walked me through the provided documentation, which includes a 1-2 page assessment of each piece, including its retail replacement cost.   This took about 20 minutes for all the pieces that we were picking up.   I believe Martin Fuller also offers other types of appraisal (estate sales, etc.) but we did not pursue these.    I found the documentation very thorough and great for providing me some peace of mind.  
One thing to bear in mind that this was not inexpensive.  It was a professional appraisal was not an "eyeball estimate", but a thorough examination of the gold content, quality and size of diamonds or other gemstones, and information about any unusual or noteworthy features as well as the accompanying documentation.  Based on my shopping around before settling on Martin Fuller LLC, I found the prices competitive with other highly rated appraisers.  

We have little experience with  jewelry or precious stones, and we wanted an expert with complete objectivity- someone who doesn't buy or sell jewely - to help us understand the few farly simple we own and our choices regarding using them and/or their stones. The price seemed a little high [compared to the jewelers who said "just drop by and I'll take a look at them for free.."] but Angie's list customers had given Mr. Fuller all A's. Now we do too.
Before we arrived, his scheduler had explained exactly how the price of the appraisal would be determined and what we could expect to receive in terms of information and documentation. The arrangement offered was perfectly acceptable - but, in fact, we got much more!
Mr Fuller cleaned and examined the pieces in front of us using both conventional jeweler's tools and a "gee-whiz" micoscope  whose electronic images take one right into the stones - all the while explaining exactly what he was looking at and how we could interpret the information. In our case, we needed the most basic "101" course in gems- and he was clear, helpful and generous with his time.
  In a second meeting, Mr. Fuller wrapped up details of the appraisal and also helped us sort through the options and process for selling and/or resetting each piece and pointed us toward trustworthy jewelers and auctioneers.  He explained the difference between insurance, retail and sale - by-owner markets,
 The very detailed [bound and electronic] report provides  diagrams and photos; it not only validates  the estimate insurers need but also 'maps' the unique mineral structures in our stones so that they will always be identifiable if lost or stolen. 
In sum, the service, expertise and products we received show why Mr Fuller's ratings are so high on this list, including for the value  you get for his fees. Unexpected bonus- he makes it interesting and fun. If you are lucky, he might even tell you about his detective work for the Smithsonian on the mysteries of the Hope diamond ...

He has a fixed fee which I liked, and I was most confident in going to him bec he has a goodly number of favorable reviews on-line.  I did do a fair amount of research on diamond appraisers, read a number of reviews,  talked to a number of firms, and got pricing quotes for the appraisal from several.  I could not have been more satisfied in my experience with Mr. Fuller.  He is very thorough, high tech, knowledgeable, and experienced, and was very clear in explaining the process and answering all my questions.  It was extremely good value for the fee paid, and I learned a lot that will inform my jewelry shopping in the future.  I look forward to consulting w/ Mr. Fuller in the future, and not worrying about where I think I should go for expert appraisal advice.

Martin Fuller conducted the appraisal himself. He was very warm and welcoming from the get go. The appraisal was done in my presence and Mr. Fuller explained each step as he was conducting the appraisal. He provided me with a printed version of my appraisal as well as an electronic copy. I will definitely use this provider again in the future to update the engagement ring appraisal as well as for any other appraisal needs.

Martin is very professional. He invited me to observe the appraisal and explained each step of the process. I walked away with the report and a CD. Very happy with the work.

I first met Martin Fuller back in 2007 when I had my fiance's (now wife's) engagement ring appraised by him. As I was changing to a new home insurance policy, I had to obtain a new appraisal for the engagement ring. The first person I sought out was Martin.
I set up an appointment via the form on their webpage on Tuesday and was immediately contacted by his Administrative Assistant, Kathleen. She was able to book me for a 1 hour appointment with Martin for the upcoming Saturday. Since I've worked with Martin, his office location has remained the same. It's in a secure building in Tysons Corner (McLean, VA) and very near to both Tysons I and Tysons II.
On the day of my appointment, my family and I arrived 5 minutes early and was escorted upstairs to his office by his wife. She was extraordinarily kind to me, my wife, and 3 year old daughter. We were set up in their waiting room and offered complimentary coffee or tea. My daughter was even offered some paper and crayons. Unfortunately, there were no crayons to be found but the gesture was very much appreciated.
The appointment before mine was running over as the couple had arrived late for their appraisal. While waiting, I completed the required office paperwork. Martin's wife was very proactive and was able to start a professional deep clean (ultrasonic bath and steam polish) and inspection of my wife's diamond engagement ring. She was even kind enough to let me use their microscope and showed me some of the inherent characteristics of my wife's diamond.
When I was finally led to Martin's office, he was able to pull my old 2007 appraisal and leverage the information to conduct a very quick but thorough appraisal of my diamond. By no means am I customer who goes through a lot of jewelry appraisals but he seemed to be asking all the right questions and seeking appropriate evidence to back up his appraisal: he asked for my GIA report, he conducted a comparison study for diamonds of similar characteristics, and he re-inspected the diamond, and the band. The only thing he didn't do which he did the first time was perform an educational walk-through of the 4C's when it comes to diamonds: Carat, Cut, Clarity, and Color.
In regard to the process for appraising my wife's watch, his attention to detail was truly admirable. He used both a high magnification camera as well as lenses to inspect the intricacies of the watch. He confirmed the serial number for both the watch and watch band. He again asked for the appropriate amount of evidence (i.e. the corresponding dealer registration card for the watch).
I should mention that during the appraisal, my 3 year old daughter had snuck into the room with Martin and I. Martin did not miss a step and welcomed all the silly questions my daughter started to ask. Martin was even kind enough to stop and demonstrate the high magnification camera for her. At the end, he even took a candid picture of my daughter on my lap.
At the end of my appraisal (which by the way ended at the appointed time), I was provided Martin's email address. His process is that prior to sending any formal appraisal report, he would like the buyer to email him to confirm the validity of their email address. Once he has the confirmation email, he will send a soft copy of that finished appraisal report to that address. I left the office at around noon and had a finished appraisal report in PDF format 6 hours later. The report was extremely detailed and contained magnified pictures of the diamond, diamond ring, and watch and most importantly the assessed replacement value. I cannot fail to mention that he had also included in a separate file, the picture that he took of both my daughter and I.
The price of the appraisal was extremely reasonable but I say this only as a repeat customer who was extended a discount for coming back. With the expectation of paying and quot;Xand quot;, I came away very pleasantly surprised that it was a little less than 50% of and quot;Xand quot;.
I would definitely recommend the appraisal services of Martin Fuller to others. As it is typical to get an updated appraisal on personal insured items every 3 years, I will be definitely be going back to Martin when that time comes again. Between his professionalism, no rush attitude, willingness to answer any and all questions, he has my highest endorsement as a jewelry appraiser.

Martin and the receptionist were very responsive. The quality of the appraisal documents are top-tier.

I needed to submit an appraisal of our silverware to State Farm before a rider could be added to our policy. Our agent made only recommendation, Mr. Fuller and Associates, and having now completed the process I understand why. His credentials are impeccable, and not a whit of haughtiness in him or his delightful staff. I was emailed a form so that I could begin the categorizing/identification process at home. This was easily done for most pieces of silverware, and by doing so I was saving billable time from the final charge.
At the initial office visit all of the flatware was logged in and photographed. Mrs. Collette Fuller was my appraiser, and her knowledge of the history of silver is amazing. The end product of the appraisal is a very comprehensive evaluation (dates, manufacturer, values) in a bound booklet form.

Every time I have dealt with Fuller and Associates, it has always been a stellar experience.

Met Mr. Fuller and his wife at their offices and laboratory in Tysons Corner.Observed the inspection and evaluation process and preparation of detailed appraisal records. The process was expertly performed, meticulously documented, and presented in both paper and PDF formats. Overall a courteous, expert, friendly and professional appraisal service.

Overall transaction was as good as it gets.

If you come in with a similar quantity of items and a budget for an hour's appraisal, do expect to take your own notes to save time. Although I did not get a full written appraisal, I did get educated on how to maximize the value I might obtain from selling the items that I decide not to keep, plus some of the history behind them. Definitely worth it.

unknown

Mr. Fuller had appraised jewelry for me before and I was very impressed with everything about him, the quality and detail of service and my overall experience. When I had to find someone to appraise my mother's gold South Sea pearl ring I immediately thought of him. There are only a handful of gemologists in the United States that are able to make an evaluation of this type of pearl and Martin Fuller and Associates is one of them. Excellent service!

Martin Fuller did a very professional job and spent time telling us about the bracelet. It was a pleasant, and educational, experience.

For insurance purposes, I needed an updated appraisal. I have used this company previously; wonderful experience both times.

They were very professional and personable. They answered all of my questions and explained everything in detail with what they were going to do. They even went over the final report with me when they were finished in great detail. I would be glad to go back to them for further services.