I was so impressed with the service I received from Norman when he appraised my ring in 2014. I got to watch and wait. Now I need the appraisal updated for my new insurance carrier and he asked me to email him a copy of my original appraisal and he would provide me with an updated one after they move to their new location. It's been almost 3 months and after multiple follow up's I still don't have it. Called his phone # multiple times and mailbox is full. :( read more

My mom and I inherited my grandparents jewelry, crystal, and furniture after they passed. Norm not only helped appraise our jewelry- we had a jewelry box full of mainly stage jewelry which he didn't complain once about- but he also gave us advice on what to do with our other inheritance. We really appreciated his attention to detail, the welcoming space, and his help with everything. We were so sad that there really wasn't much value to our jewelry, but Norm helped us to realize that the memories are what gives these pieces more value. Thank you Norm! read more

So... My guy ended up buying ANOTHER ring I picked out on ebay. Old European Edwardian style set in platinum (*sigh*). Again, I called Norman and he did a quick eyeball of the ring online and said it looked good. We got the ring in and took it to Norman for an appraisal and certification the next morning. He did the appraisal, certification, and cleaned the ring by the following business day. Norman and the staff at AIG were 100% professional, personable, and patient with me. They let me be the crazy bride and were kind to no end. Long live Norman and cheers to AIG -- I wish there were 100 others like you. read more

I had my fiancé's engagement ring appraised here for insurance purposes. Norman was really great. Answered any questions I had and explained the entire process. I was pretty impressed when just by looking at the diamond under the microscope he was able to correctly predict the color and clarity that was stated on the GIA certificate. Would definitely use these guys again. read more

They appraised my ring at $32,000 but it's worth $1,000!!!! Scam!!!!! Do not give them your money or buy anything that they have "appraised"! I'm looking into taking legal action against this fraudulent company. read more

I was so impressed by their professionalism, price, and willingness to answer all of my questions. I was having jewelry appraised in hopes to sell. They referred me to numerous locations, and also gave me helpful pointers that made selling my jewelry painless and quick!!! Thank you so much!! I highly recommend. read more

I attended a "Police Asset Auction" where I purchased several items with AIG appraisals. After having these items independently appraised, not a single one of them was worth more than 10% of the AIG appraisal value. Their appraisals are not worth the paper they are printed on. I would stay as far away from this company as I could. The gold standard in appraisals is GIA (Gemological Institue of America). Is it a coincidence that this place used the same three letters? This place is a chop-shop appraisal house. I challenge any of the reviewers to get their rings PROFESSIONALLY appraised by GIA and I can guarantee you that the values will come back disappointingly low. The fact that the weights and cuts of the stones are properly identified means NOTHING. Appraisers are "supposed" to be bound by integrity and "supposed" to assign appraisal values with market conditions in mind. When I confronted AIG about these lofty values, their response was "gold was really high at that time". Well, my necklace that weighed 38 grams was made of 18 karat gold (50% gold). 19 grams of gold has been worth (at its most in the last 5 years) $1300. Using the "gold was really high at that time" excuse is irrelevant. The people here will give you any excuse to justify their insanely high appraisals. I ended up spending $4500 on items that AIG appraised at over $52,540. Once these items were PROFESSIONALLY appraised, the real value came back at $840. This business should be shut down immediately. I'm embarrassed that I trusted their values, and I hope that this review stops just one person from trusting this company that clearly has no idea what they are doing. read more

I know an auction house down South that has their jewelry appraised by AIG. People appear to be on to the scam as the jewelry rarely sells for more than 25-30% of it "appraised" value. read more

My experience with AIG was pleasant. They were timely and professional in conducting the appraisal. I highly recommend this company to anyone looking to get their jewelry appraised. read more

Took my fiance's ring for an appraisal back in July and have been meaning to write a review. Norman is a great guy and really knows his stuff! Along with getting an appraisal I got a little more educated on diamonds, gold and jewelry. If you need an appraisal then go to American Int'l Gemologists, it's worth the drive out to Thousand Oaks. I look forward to future dealings with American Int'l Gemologists and Norman. read more

As I am recently engaged and going through all the to-do lists, I saw "get engagement ring insurance" - hmm, how do I go about doing this? After a brief call with my Allstate Agent, I found out that I needed to get my ring appraised. Where do I go to get that done? Thanks to Yelp, I found AIG and thank goodness I did. They did an appraisal of my ring for $100 in less than an hour and it came out to the exact price my fiance paid. Score for the fiance!!! Plus they give you a beautiful laminated certification with picture (see pics on Yelp page) and regular paper copy for the insurance company. I highly recommend them. Fast, friendly, reliable service - you can't go wrong!!! read more

I took my engagement ring here for appraisal for insurance purposes. It was a pleasure to spend the hour with Norman while he performed his analysis and the paperwork. He also took the time to explain the quality of the primary diamond which made me even more proud of my fiancé's design decisions. I would highly recommend! read more

After recently inheriting my mother's jewelry collection I realized that between my jewelry and hers, I was now in need of, "Valuable Personal Property" insurance. Though there was where my problem began... Where to start! Between the jewelry I had collected over the years and now inheriting my mother's, there must have been 35-40 or so pieces! I was trying to figure out what was worth extra insurance and what was not? Actually, my first question of the inherited jewelry was, "what's real"? I didn't have a clue and felt so overwhelmed not knowing where to begin, who to go to or who I could trust? My insurance company was not as helpful as I had wished. They told me of the different plans they offered and somewhat of how they worked but could not give me any resources to assist me. As far as having a formatted system, I was completely on my own. The only solid direction I had was knowing I needed to find a, "Certified Gemologist Appraiser". Off to my computer to begin researching. My first realization was that most of the official jewelry appraisers were all seemingly in the heart of the jewelry district in downtown Los Angeles. That was not exactly convenient to me living in Calabasas. And the second realization, there seemed to be plenty of them! I was now only further confused by so many choices and who to trust? I once again put this process on hold due to my feeling so overwhelmed! After some time went by and experiencing a little guilt, I again decided to try and find someone who could help me. That is when I found Norman & Sandy with, "American Int'l Gemologists" in Newbury Park! After calling several different jewelers I felt I wanted/needed a little more. I needed someone who could help guide me through this process without feeling taken advantage of! The people of AIG were amazing, and close to home! Norman was incredibly knowledgeable, not only with the pieces themselves but with the overall insurance aspect of it. He helped to bring clarity to my difficulties in understanding insurance tabu, and guide me in the direction which best suited my needs! In the end he, Sandy and their team appraised, summarized, categorized, photographed and cleaned my entire collection! I now have insured the pieces I needed to insure and have wonderful documentation on CD of everything! I can not stress enough how simple, American International Gemologists made this process for me. I found them professional, trust worthy, reliable and wonderful to work with! I can't thank them enough! read more

Sorry people, but you need to go to a real jeweler and have your items re-appraised. AIG is a total fraud. Recently bought an item with an AIG appraisal. AIG appraised the ring at a little over $25,000. I went to 8 different jewelers in NY, and each one appraised the item at between $400 and $1,000. AIG is not trustworthy..... read more

This company is a fraud. Purchased a bracelet on proxibid for 5000.00. Item was appraised by this company for over 30,000.00. Received the bracelet in the mail and immediately noticed the poor quality of metal and diamonds. Brought the bracelet to a reputable appraiser in San Diego who appraised the bracelet for 2200.00. Please, please do your research on this company as they have changed names several times to avoid negative reviews and fraud. read more

Norman and his staff were not only super friendly but super professional. I was looking for a place to get my engagement ring appraised (for insurance purposes) near Simi Valley, and was referred to Norman. It was a very short drive from Simi Valley and well worth it since there were no gemologists in Simi Valley. Norman was so kind and patient wiht me. He walked me through a explained everything every step of the way. He even taught me quite a few things. I will never go to anyone else for an appraisal in the future. Norman and AIG will always be my go to for appraisals! read more

We just had our engagement ring appraised at AIG and we couldn't be happier. They are very friendly and made things very easy for us. If you are looking for great customer service and a quality appraisal, look no further!! read more

This is the 2nd time I have posted this review. Apparently Yelp software picks and chooses which reviews get to stay and which get deleted. M K.'s review is the exact situation I experienced. I bought a nice ring with an AIG appraised value of $25,550 at an auction. I had it appraised by two independent GIA resident graduates with one appraisal at $8,500 and the other at $10,100. The appraisals by AIG are so inflated that it should constitute fraud. I can see why all the reviews on here are five star. Who doesn't like hearing that their engagement ring is worth 5 times what they paid for it? Norman's appraisals do state the correct dimensions for the different components of my ring. Which is good. Anyone using his appraisal for insurance purposes will likely find that the insurance company will replace with like property and not give you Norman's ridiculous estimate in cash. There is a reason why AIG is so heavily used by auction companies and online scammers. IF IT SOUNDS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE ODDS ARE AIG APPRAISED IT. read more

Having lost one of my diamond stud earrings, Norman found a beautiful, perfectly matched stone for me. I consider myself fortunate to have worked with such honest, knowledgeable and nice people. Thanks Norman and Sandy! read more

I researched several appraisers in the area before finally choosing AIG and I couldn't be happier with my choice. Admittedly, I was nervous about the entire process since I was having my designer wedding ring set appraised for insurance purposes. Norman and Sandy quickly alleviated any fears that I had. They were courteous, personable, professional and most importantly experts in their field. Norman spent extra time evaluating my diamonds to ensure accuracy. When the final numbers were given, (me knowing their value already), I was completely shocked that Norman priced it for the exact listing as the jewelry store... (this accuracy was imperative for insurance reasons). My rings were never out of my sight and the final documents were professionally produced on the spot. St Farm insurance accepted the documents and my rings have been safely insured for the exact value of the diamonds. It's quite obvious to me that they have integrity and are passionate about providing excellent service for a reasonable fee. Overall, I was very impressed with AIG and would highly recommend their services to anyone. read more

Informative and very helpful. Trusted them with my precious items. I was very happy withthe service and finished product! Thank you AIG

Norman at AIG is amazing! My boyfriend bought a ring off of ebay and we wanted to double check that the center 1.4 carot diamond really was a diamond. I called Norman and he fit me in the next day and explained everything to me. I feel much better after seeing him and I wish everyone involved in the jewelry business was as professional and wonderful as him! read more

Norman was curteous, professional, fair and timely. I brought my daughter with me for the appraisal and he made her very comfortable while we waited. I really like that you can stay with your jewelry while it is being appraised. It is a peace of mind that you don't find just anywhere. I would highly recommend. read more

Norman at AIG was fantastic! He worked with my schedule and made it easy for me to get an appointment, which was very generous. He answered any questions I had and was very knowledgeable! I would definitely go back to AIG Labs to get more jewelry appraised! Thank you Norman for making my first jewelry appraisal a wonderful experience read more

I located American International Gemologists from an Internet search and contacted them regarding updating several jewelry appraisals for insurance purposes. They were extremely professional and helpful on the telephone and did an extraordinary job on the appraisals. I had 14 different pieces of jewelry with very high values attached and they detailed everything and even caught several mistakes that prior appraisers had made on various pieces. I found them to be very trustworthy and competent and I would not hesitate to use them again and to recommend them to others. It was very clear how knowledgeable they are about their trade. read more