Jewelry Judge Ben Gordon

After reading all the rave reviews on Unilocal,I knew I had to go to Mr. Ben… not to mention they are conveniently located close to my job. I decided to stop by on my lunch break, and unbeknownst to me there were technically not even open yet. However despite the fact that I did not have an appointment and arrived before office hours, they stilled serviced me plus got me in and out within an hour. *NOTE* they do prefer to have scheduled appointments due to the nature of their business and small quarters.
Mary and Ben both serviced me for the appraisal of my engagement ring for insurance purposes. As everyone else has stated, your jewelry never leaves your sight and they walk you through everything they are doing. As an additional bonus, they cleaned my ring and made it sparkle like brand new again and offered some great tips of advice. Fantastic customer service!

I recently inherited a beautiful vintage bracelet, and being the GoogIe queen, was able to get some idea of its value on my own. But I still needed the expert to determine if it was real or counterfeit, and also to provide the paperwork necessary for proper insurance. I found the Jewelry Judge through online recommendations and I was able to secure an appointment for the next day. Linda, the Jewelry Judge’s wife and partner, greeted us warmly. The appraisal process was fascinating and educational. I brought with me a few other pieces for the more informal consultation, and was able to decide what other pieces might need the formal appraisal for insurance purposes. Ben was a delight to work with. He and his staff even cleaned all my jewelry, including what I was wearing that day. I will be moving away soon, but I will send any future work here. I won’t feel comfortable trusting anyone else.

What a cool experience! I needed a ring appraised for insurance, and I didn’t want it to leave my sight. Here the jewelry never leaves your sight and the appraisers explain to you what they are doing as they appraise your jewelry. I will definitely come back here for future appraisals!

I did a google search and came across his name. I talked to him over the phone and he was very pleasant and professional. From the moment I got there and throughout the whole experience top notch and made me feel very special. He even offered to clean my wedding band and other ring. He went above and beyond and his staff mimics the leader. Everyone should go to Ben Gordon to get thee jewerly appraised!

What a delightful experience. Ben and his team are not only very professional, but to echo other reviews, they are very personable and informative. Great customer service. They are in the shadow of the Galleria, which is near my office. Convenient location and knowledgeable staff. The perfect combination.

Ben and his team were very professional, personable and informative. They genuinely like working with people and love the work they do.

Absolutely amazing. Great customer service and phenomenal professionalism. Feel safe bringing anything to them. I love how they have you involved in the process.

Very friendly and professional, top notch service. Mr. Gordon and his staff were very informative throughout the process and made sure I understood everything that was going on.

The high praise and reviews for Ben Gordon held up well past our expectations during our recent visit. My fiancé and I had been needing to do an appraisal for my engagement ring for some time now but have held off on doing so… partially out of typical procrastination but also for our fear of someone «mishandling» our expensive ring. We had heard horror stories of appraisers possibly walking out with your ring or even switching the diamond with a fake behind closed doors and this was the last thing we wanted to deal with. Ben Gordon and his staff did everything they could to make sure we felt comfortable during our visit from the moment we walked in the door. I have to say this was one of the best experiences I’ve had in terms of customer care in a VERY long time. It’s nice to know that there are still people like Ben Gordon around…
We first booked our appointment online. The process was really quick and simple. I was surprised to see how many appointment times were still available for a Saturday morning but was pleased by the options nonetheless. When that morning came, we were running late and called to inform them. They were extremely accommodating and still accepted us even though we were about 10 minutes late past our appt time. When we walked in, Mary and Linda greeted us (Linda is the administrative clerk and works at the front desk. Mary is the 2^nd appraiser that works alongside Ben). We filled out the standard paperwork and then were brought into Ben’s office where the appraisal took place. Our ring never left our sight, even when Mary cleaned and took photos of it. I was really surprised to see how organized everything was and the thoroughness in the appraisal process. We were asked to bring in our GIA paperwork to use as reference, but Ben never asked for it until the very end when his appraisal was complete. Ben actually viewed it as a game to see how accurate he was to the official diamond certification! The appraisal stats were almost identical to the listed GIA specs, which reassured me of Ben Gordon’s qualifications for appraisals. It was huge relief to know that I had my ring in the right hands.
I really enjoyed my experience with Ben Gordon and his staff. To be surrounded by a team that genuinely cares for their customers is the best part of our whole experience. I would DEFINITELY recommend Ben Gordon to anyone. Take my review and everyone else’s review into perspective and trust that his team will provide you the utmost appraisal service. You won’t be disappointed.

Great service. Appraisal was quoted beforehand and in a friendly environment. The ring I took in never left my sight and I was able to see the entire process take place.
Ben and the staff were knowledgable and friendly and it really brought me peace of mind knowing that my purchase price was fair and that the appraisal will be useful for insurance purposes.

This guy is excellent at his job but besides that is a nice guy and makes you a part of the process. He goes over the appraisal step by step with you and in addition gives you very useful information that will help you throughout your life in jewelry shopp

I went into have a ring looked today. I have to say what a joke. This man fraud. Watch out, My ring I brought in he said that a jewelry store would scrap it. Lol how many rings have you come by from the late 1800\‘s. He doesn\‘t know his history to well, it could be of his smart ass attitude. To even mine and cut a stone took the best craftsmen of the time, mind you they were without electricity in those days, and he telling me its junk, but then tells me of 2 business that I could go and talk to. Come on. This guy has no idea what he\‘s talking about. I was expecting a report I wanted to get something in writing. They took my 95 dollars alright, and I have nothing to show no information in writing, all I heard from him was bickering about color and weight, then he pulls out his iPad and gets his calculator out and presses a few numbers and says 500dollars. What a joke, Thank you Jewelry Judge for taking my $ 95 dollars. I never go back this man is worse than a used car salesman period. If he was a man of his integrity he would refund my money.
Warren Thamm

I was pleased with their service and they were super friendly and answered all my questions. I got my appraisal report.

I had purchased a diamond ring and wanted to compare appraisals so I read reviews and chose to come here.
Well, the reviews were correct. Mr. Gordon is clearly a master at his craft having been in the industry for 60 years. Both he and his staff were very friendly and welcoming and did everything to make sure we were comfortable.
The process, in whole, took around 40 minutes which had been expected as that’s what was said over the phone. Pricing varies by the karat of the diamond and how many there are, but I felt I paid for exactly what I got which is top quality.
During the process we got to view exactly what was going on. For those who worry about such things, the ring never left our sight. Mr. Gordon explained in detail exactly what was going on and answered any and all questions. He explained what his instruments do and how the grading works and what the grades mean.
At the end he goes over what your grades are and gives you an appraisal value. He signs off on it and it gives it his stamp. The paperwork is very professional and explains in detail everything he went over.
I would highly recommend Mr. Gordon. I don’t need to go anywhere else because I already know where the best diamond appraiser is. I hope your experience was a great as mine.
here is a copy of his resume he provided with my appraisal: (sorry for the copy/​paste the file was in PDF and I can’t format)
Jewelry Judge Ben Gordon
Master Graduate Gemologist/​Appraiser
5433 Westheimer Rd. #606 Houston, TX 77 056
(713) 961‑1432
EDUCATION:
Gemological Institute of America
Graduate Gemologist, 1967
Master Graduate Gemologist/​Appraiser, 1996
Jewelers Vigilance Committee
J-​Bar Completed Assessment Examination, 2004
American Gem Society Annual Conclave
Attends educational seminars
Color vision tested every two years
Yearly re-​certification, 2013
Indiana University
Participated in the Appraiser of Personal Property Program
New York University
Masters of Business Administration, 1961
Bachelor of Science in Business, 1959
EXPERIENCE:
The Jewelry Judge 60 years since 1953
Texas Independent Jewelry Appraisers
President
Gordon’s Jewelry Corporation Houston, TX Vice President of Merchandising for Fine Jewelry Division 1966 – 1977
Botell Ring Company New York, NY
Production Manager and Buyer 1953 – 1966
EXPERTISE: Expert Witness for government agencies and various law firms
Assists law enforcement agencies in recovering stolen jewelry
Appears on TV and radio on appraising gems /​jewelry
Appears as guest speaker for gem and jewelry shows
PROFESSIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS Member, The National Association of Jewelry Appraisers
Texas Jewelers Association
Gemological Institute of America Alumni Member

I absolutely recommend Ben Gordon, he is an expert at what he does and is truly passionate about jewerly.
The fact that I was present when he was evaluating my ring was just amazing, no tricks, no lies, present and looking at the whole process. Truly a great place for jewerly appraisal.

I have been to the Jewelry Judge on more than one occasion. He takes the time and makes the effort to make you feel involved and to educate you. They have a very personable approach. Mr. Gordon spotted a fake stone in a piece that I’d purchased from Ebay. The seller denied it, but I was quickly able to get my money back using a letter Mr. Gordon had given me (along with his impressive resume).

I selected Ben Gordon for my diamond appraisal because he is an independent appraiser, GIA trained, and has been in business for many years. After more research I also discovered he attends various CPE annually and has his eyes checked every two years to ensure his ability to judge color.
My diamond is GIA certified, so I was able to compare Ben’s results to the diamond industry standard (also where he was educated). I was impressed to find his calculations were very precise and only one hundredth of a percent variance, if any. Ben uses the RapNet to find the wholesale and diamond trader prices before he writes up the appraisal at insurance/​retail value.
Ben was much more technically savvy than I expected and very knowledgeable in his field. I also had a lot of fun at the appraisal. Ben is a very charming and personable man.