'Antiques Roadshow' seller says 'hallelujah' after she's told the value of her forgotten brooches

Harry Bertoia enjoys widespread popularity among people who are interested in furniture design and sculptures. The 20th-century Italian-American artist is one of the most prolific names in that field. However, not many people are aware of his work with metal and jewelry in his early years. So when a guest on "Antiques Roadshow" turned up with a couple of Bertoia brooches, it was no surprise that they were valued at thousands of dollars, although it was unexpected for the guest.

Bertoia moved to the States at the age of 15 and settled in Detroit with his older brother Oreste. He then studied at the Cass Technical High School from 1930 to 1936 and learned the art of making handmade jewelry. After that, he got a scholarship to study at the prestigious Cranbrook Academy of Art where he opened his metal studio according to antique expert Peter Shemonsky.

“My sister worked in the dorms where he stayed at Cranbrook,” the guest revealed as per Express US. “He gave her one and then he knew that she had two sisters so three of us got the brooches and I have those too." The guest's family was also known as the second family of Cranbrook back in the day since they had grown up there.

Now, it was certain that the two brooches were worth a lot of money considering their history. However, since there was no signature of the artist on them, the antique expert suggested that the guest write about its history so that people had an idea about the jewelry. He even said that Bertoia’s early work reflected the style he used while he matured as an artist.

"And also, when we look at the design motifs that these pieces have, the forged wire, the spiral motifs, this speaks very much of Bertoia's aesthetic that we will see him develop later on in the sculpture and in the furniture that he later designs,” he said.

As a collector’s item, these brooches would be incredible and their value should reflect that. Shemonsky said that one brooch at an auction house would go for $20,000 to $30,000. Considering that she had two, she was essentially holding on to items worth up to $60,000. This was highly unexpected and the guest did not hold back on her emotions. "Well hallelujah, it was worth the trip. It was so nice meeting you Peter,” she said, with the joy visible on her face.

A similar story of a brooch being highly valuable was featured in the UK version of “Antiques Roadshow.” A woman brought one gifted to her by her husband out of the blue and the piece of jewelry immediately caught the attention of the expert Geoffrey Munn on BBC One. Turns out that it was made in Russia in 1900 by the great Carl Faberge. "It's a wonderful voyage of discovery...not only because of the amatory significance but because of the context and the excitement of the maker, they have been offered at auction, and they have fetched as much as £10,000 (around $13,000 with today’s currency exchange),” the expert said.

It took her some time to wrap her head around just what her husband had gifted her “out of the blue” and even the expert believed that she was quite lucky to have it.