Peeks [ Persona ] An Appraisal of My Life and Work January 2007

by Georganne M. Thurston
Images by Russell Byrne

Georganne has been prepared by formal training, life experience, and predilection to come to the aid of people facing the loss of a loved one. Hers is a fascinating story.

I’m a Certified Appraiser and possess a real calling for this profession. I have tried other things, but becoming an appraiser turned out to be a real fit for me.

One set of experiences that prepared me for this life was finding myself on the other side of an estate during times of transition. I will never be able to forget one seemingly heartless individual who picked up a fine piece of Havilland china belonging to my mom and then banged it back down on the table as though it were an empty Dr. Pepper bottle. I could tell by the sound that he had cracked the piece. I wanted to order him off the premises. This and other experiences with insensitive and even unprincipled people doing estate estimations have motivated me to do my work sensitively as well as effectively.

Growing up Amid Excellence
The most important element in my background that prepared me for a life as an estate assessor was the society that I grew up in. My training in appreciating the value of fine things began in early childhood. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and my maternal grandmother played an important role in my upbringing. Because of her I was raised with a practical knowledge of silk, china, and silver.

I remember grandmother taking me on educational shopping trips to The City starting when I was only six years old. We would ride across the Bay Bridge on the Red Train, both of us dressed in hats and white gloves with me clutching my little purse beneath my arm. She would take me to the City of Paris, which was located on the site of the current Neiman Marcus. We would begin on the lower level where fabrics were sold by the yard and by the bolt.

Grandmother would pick up a piece and ask me, “What kind of fabric is this?”

I might answer, “Velvet.”

“What kind of velvet?” I eventually could distinguish between silk or cotton velvets and velour.

We would move on from materials to the store’s china department where we would earnestly explore items that were for sale. I was a fascinated learner! Eventually I could tell whether the country of origin for a piece was Germany, England, or France.

My grandmother was an amazing woman! She stood only 4 feet 10 inches high and weighed 90 pounds. She was born in France of simple origins but had aspirations for fine things and came to America in 1905 looking for a better life. We think she was in her 20s at that time, but she never told anyone when she had been born. We buried her without ever knowing her actual age.

As newlyweds, grandma and grandpa started a business they called Madame Nogúe French Laundry. I worked in my grandparents’ laundry after school. It was great fun! Twice a week grandmother would cook fabulous dinners for her employees. Her soups were marvelous! She would emerge from her little kitchen with some savory entrée complete with all the trimmings including a small salad, soup, rice or pasta, potatoes, and green vegetables. She would carve the butter into rosettes and serve relish in a fancy dish.

Grandmother always talked to me in French. Her sternest admonition was “Sois sage, Georgette,” which meant, “Be wise, Georgette.” It was a much nicer way of speaking to a young girl than simply telling her “Stop!” or “Don’t do that!” The rebuke comes across, especially in French, as refined and just naturally calling for a gentle response. I eventually came to use “Sois sage, Kristine,” with my own daughter.

Adventures in Life and Death
My father came from Norwegian people in North Dakota. His dad was mayor of their little town, Edinberg. His father waited until he was owner of the town grain elevator before sending to Norway for a wife. The Old Country sent him a woman who was 20 years his junior. After bearing him three children, the poor woman died through an unspeakable medical error. My grandpa told my dad he didn’t think he could survive his loss and died within a year after losing his wife. Dad buried him and then drove to California on his motorcycle.

My maternal grandfather died when I was about ten. That was my first experience with estate appraisers because those awful people descended upon us as vultures to a carcass. This business unfortunately attracts some greedy people who gladly take advantage of the fact that bereaved people often don’t realize the value of the items in their estate.

My grandfather’s death was the first in a string of episodes in which we had to make decisions concerning the disposition of a deceased loved one’s effects. My brother survived combat in Viet Nam but when he was only 27 he stopped for a flagman and was instantly killed by a Shell Oil truck.

My dad died suddenly in 1972 at age 57 of a heart attack. My beloved little grandma died three years later. Her mind remained clear right up until the end. Mom died of cancer on Mothers’ Day 1987.

Growing into My Business
The necessity of coping with the death of these loved ones developed in me a desire to help people in similar circumstances so I went into the appraisal business for myself nine years ago following 11 years of running Thurston For Design, an interior design company that I still continue to operate.

I had earned a Bachelor of Fine Art from the CSUH (California State University in Hayward) followed by three years of rigorous training at the prestigious George Washington University leading up to certification by the ASA (American Society of Appraisers). I received a Master of Arts from Berkeley. I completed a couple years of post-graduate studies in Florence, plus studies at the University of London.

My training and experience as an appraiser have been augmented by wonderful people I’ve been associating with. I’m on the board of Carmel Women’s Club, for example. I love this group! Their ages range from early 30s to older than they’ll admit. I especially enjoy talking with the more senior members of the group. They all have wonderfully rich experiences! We have a sense of family; they are like aunties. I continue to learn about the world through their experiences.

My abilities as an appraiser has also been enhanced by volunteer work. For the past year-and-a-half I’ve been helping to archive the collections at the Carmel Mission as part of a team for the Diocese of Monterey. We’re cataloging ancient vestments and artifacts. We’re creating a database with photos, dimensions, and condition reports covering the hundreds and hundreds of items that we’ve retrieved from the storerooms and attics of that ancient place.

I also increase my experience as an appraiser through travel. Besides my years of study in Florence, last year I visited Prague and Budapest, and the year before that traveled extensively in Russia. I took a boat trip down the Volga to see the Northern architecture and ended up in Moscow, a place I learned to love. That city isn’t as beautiful as St Petersburg, but it was the soul of the country.

A fellow professional in Russia actually got me into the vaults of the Hermitage. We were dashing about and searching archives like children in some magical play area. 

I bring all my experiences and learning to bear on my job as appraiser. Plus, I bring a sense of respect for my clients’ possessions. I don’t clank things down, realizing that particular objects might carry associations for people that go far beyond any monetary value.

Helping People Cope
The most important thing that people who are put into a position as conservator or trustee of an estate can do is to not assume that they are their own expert. They must not depend solely upon eBay for their information. They need to work with an attorney, preferably one who has had some kind of relationship with the deceased. Most importantly, they should contact a certified appraiser. These are listed by the ASA.

You can find the list on your browser at www.appraisers.org/findappraiser or phone 800-ASA-VALU. You can depend upon any ASA certified appraiser.

A good appraiser will begin to help sort things out in an initial meeting, perhaps by phone. The appraiser will help determine what agreements, documents, and reports are necessary. The appraiser and the attorney will work together to ensure that requirements are being met.

The appraiser will then conduct personal property appraisals. Personal property can present serious challenges. I make a report of everything I see — an assessment of all the significant things belonging to the estate. I make a judgment about what needs to be emphasized, on the one hand, and what can be bundled as miscellaneous or collections, on the other.

Making a reliable judgment about value requires extensive experience mixed with wisdom. I take pictures, and, as appropriate, record dimensions. I come to an opinion of value based upon what the object is and the condition it is in.

I also consider its provenance, which is found from answering questions such as, Where was it from? Is there celebrity or historical ownership in the object’s pedigree? How rare is it? What is the market?

The reference point for the value of an object is set on the date of death, which may be different than the current market.

Also, “market” refers to the market in which the deceased shopped. Did he/she shop at boutique stores, Gumps, Target, or  on eBay?

A bound report is then made available for the client and others who need to see it. Each page is numbered; each report is original. Nobody can easily alter the report for their own purposes.

The document contains an estimate of value for each item plus a description of the process used in reaching the figure. In other words, the document must prove the case.

The goal is to create a report that can enable any person who has never seen a single object in the estate to understand exactly what’s included and how values were determined.

A certified appraiser can help you make decisions about the future. Let one of us do what we can to ease your heart and mind during the difficult times that perhaps lie before you. We’re prepared to help.

This is what we’re trained for. It’s what most of us love doing. °

You can contact Georganne at 831-622-7247, gmt1@aol.com, or visit her website at www.thurston-appraisal.com.