Acquaint yourself with your Appraiser

From as far back as I can remember, my love was always in the arts, specifically visual arts. I was always drawing, doodling, or coloring something. 

Fast forward and I completed my Bachelor of Arts Degree from Greensburg’s hidden gem, Seton Hill University. I graduated with a focus in Art History.

Shortly after graduation, I found joy in working at an art gallery in Charleston, SC and being immersed in such a great, art rich city.

Greensburg became home once again when we began raising a family. My family had years of experience in the Pawn Shop industry and in 2005 the first licensed pawn shop in Westmoreland County opened it’s doors. The store became a staple in Western Pennsylvania. After being immersed in the industry for many years, I became the owner of The Pawn and Jewelry Exchange in 2013 upon my husband’s passing.

The business as a whole is fascinating, but the model of buying and selling jewelry sparked my interest the most. I was always looking at the finished pieces of jewelry and thinking ‘how did they make this? It’s truly a work of art.’ 

In our region, there are very few formally trained gemologists or trained jewelry appraisers.

I was drawn to gemology and jewelry appraising out of necessity - necessity for myself and for our clients. I need to know without a shadow of a doubt what I'm looking at. The price difference between a natural gemstone, a synthetic gem, or a piece of glass is substantial.