Hi, I'm Lacee. I'm the Sales Manager and GIA Diamonds Graduate at Wattsson & Wattsson Jewelers. If you come in for an appraisal, I'm that one that will complete it. I get asked about appraisals all the time. Questions like “What's an appraisal, how much does one cost, how long does it take, why do you have to keep it?” So, I'd like to take a little time to answer some of these questions, and maybe more!

Right now, I'm only appraising Diamonds. This is because I'm working toward my full Graduate Gemology degree. As part of the course, I have completed the GIA Diamonds Graduate certificate and am in the process of completing the Colored Stone and Gem ID portion of the program. I find it unethical and inappropriate to appraise colored stones while I'm still working toward those credentials. There's just so much to learn, and while I'm fairly comfortable with the colored stones process, I personally want to make sure I have the most information I can, and the most experience I can to provide accurate identifications. 

An appraisal is my written opinion of a piece's quality. That opinion is based on my extensive training through GIA, the Gemological Institute of America. I've looked at hundreds of Diamonds that have been graded through GIA to hone my critical eye to the Color, Cut, Clarity, and Carat qualities, which are the necessary guides to grading Diamonds. Typically, an appraisal is for insurance purposes, so the grading that I provide assigns a replacement value based on the market prices. This information is important to assure that in the event of loss, the piece can be replaced. It's completely heartbreaking when someone loses a piece, but it unfortunately happens often.

An appraisal for a Diamond costs $50. This is because it requires my time and expertise to provide this service. I spend a lot of time with each piece, examining every stone to judge the quality of its' 4 C's. Sometimes when a piece has upwards of 50 Diamonds, this is no small feat!

Typically, I say to give an appraisal a week. I know that this seems like a lot of time, but so many things happen in a given day, that sometimes it's impossible for me to spend an appropriate amount of time judging quality, and I refuse to rush the process. The quality of my work is very important to me.

If I am updating an existing appraisal, and a client is able to provide paperwork, this process is quicker, and costs less. If I have the opportunity to verify information that I am provided, it makes it a little more simple. I don't always agree with existing appraisals, however, and I strive for quality and accuracy. An updated appraisal costs $25, but I must be provided with written paperwork outlining the qualities of the Diamonds.

I know a week seems like a long time, and often I can get to a piece a little quicker. But for me, it's very important that each piece of jewelry that I appraise gets an appropriate amount of time. I can give a quick opinion of a piece, but that's not what I would consider a fair assessment. Also, I'm doing a lot more than just appraising jewelry. As the Sales Manager at Wattsson & Wattsson, my day consists of caring for customers, answering phones, placing orders, assisting Chris with extra duties, answering questions from staff, and taking in repairs. I would hate to be assessing a piece of jewelry while in the middle of several other tasks at once because I don't think that's allowing the fair attention that each appraisal deserves. This is also why we have to have it at the store during that time. Measurements have to be taken, each stone gets assessed, the item has to be weighed, and all of this information is input into appraisal format.

I love what I do. This is the first time in my life I've had something that I've thought of as a career, and being able to offer appraisals to the community is so important for me, especially as a woman in this industry. Diamonds and Gemstones are just so cool, and they each have their quirks that make them unique.

   -Lacee J. Hartzell
    Sales Manager, Wattsson & Wattsson Jewelers 
    GIA Diamonds Graduate, Graduate Gemologist Candidate 

Over the last few years, there’s been a surge of questions in my email about Michigan’s Sesquicentennial Coin. The coin was produced in 1986 by my dad here at Watttsson & Wattsson. I was born in 1990 and my dad passed in 2010, so I had little knowledge of the coin.

Thanks to the Peter White Public Library and the Marquette Regional History Center, I’ve been able to find out more information on the project. I’m still researching, and will be updating this article as I learn more. 

The coins were minted in 1986 out of 14k Upper Peninsula Gold from the Ropes Gold Mine.

The first coin minted was sent to Michigan’s Governor at the time, Governor Blanchard.

Wattsson & Wattsson Jewelers was the first one to mint the design in Gold. There was a copper version minted and distributed exclusively for Meijer. It does not have the W&W marking, so I don't believe it was made in my shop. The dies in the photo above are the only ones that we have. 

In addition to being available in our store, the coin was available via banks that were members of the Michigan Bankers Association during the Sesquicentennial celebration in 1987. 

If you have information on the Sesquicentennial coin, email me at chris@wandwjewelers.com. I’d love to hear your stories and any information you might have about the coin.