Eileen Eichhorn Certified Senior Member of NAJA recently attended the 52nd ACE© IT Mid-Year Conference of The National Association of Jewelry Appraisers in Dallas, Texas August 3-6, 2019.
The Association, consisting of national and international members, is dedicated to the maintenance of professional standards, professional ethics and education in the field of jewelry appraising. All members must adhere to the professional Code of Ethics of the association and all appraisal assignments must be performed under the constraints of this Code and USPAP: Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.
This year’s conference focused on several work areas which confront appraisers on a daily basis to update their knowledge and keep them current. The first day was called “Aha!-Appraisers Helping Appraisers” in which topics were covered such as the new upcoming USPAP, Town Hall Meeting, IRS compliant appraisals and research challenges. Lectures were given on appraising spinel, tourmaline and garnet as well as ivory; synthetic diamond detectors, and appraisal software programs. Jewelry history featuring the jewels of William Ruser, the famous Hollywood jeweler to the stars, as well as other popular estate jewelry styles from the 1960’s and 70’s were highlighted. Trends and symbolism in global jewelry were also enjoyed by the members. Lectures on training your eye in order to spot antique jewelry, identifying fakes and anomalies were also given.
Preceding this year’s conference, Ms. Eichhorn enjoyed a two hour private tour of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in the heart of Dallas visiting the Lyda Hill Gems and Minerals Hall.
Currently on display is the world’s third largest gold nugget consisting of 92% pure gold weighing in at 23.26 kg/62.33 troy lbs. known as the Ausrox Gold Nugget. It was discovered by three prospectors with a hand-held metal detector in April of 2010 in the Eastern Goldfields of Australia. The nugget is irregular in shape and has a surface that alternates between smooth, crystalline and square.
One of the most fascinating interactive exhibits features a sparkling sliced 5 ft. tall 1.5 ton purple amethyst called the Grape Jelly geode. It has been engineered to open and close with a steering wheel apparatus that even a child can operate!
Eileen Eichhorn, a Graduate Gemologist, has been appraising gems and jewelry for well over 40 years. She performs a variety of appraisals for individuals, the banking industry, attorneys and others. These assignments include but are not limited to insurance replacement, fair market value, donation, divorce, bankruptcy, collateral, comparison, casualty loss, and qualitative reports.