'Antiques Roadshow' guest laughs in disbelief after hearing value of her 'peace offering' from husband
Jewelry as a peace offering is invaluable for relationships, but it could also have hidden value that is often uncovered on “Antiques Roadshow.” One such item was a necklace, which the guest had received from her husband as a peace offering after a disastrous situation at home. The guest probably did not expect it to be worth a lot, but was blown away when the expert appraised it at thousands of dollars.
“It was a peace offering from my husband after a very disastrous dinner party in which one of the guests he’d invited didn’t eat anything I had served. And I actually had to send out to the local pub for the steak and kidney pie,” she said. The expert looked impressed at what the guest’s husband had bought for her. It was an opal necklace, which he called a “very very pretty thing.”
“Before about 1850, opals came from Czechoslovakia, and they were horrible, dull, little things, and in 1850, they started opening up the opal mines in Australia. And where opals get this lovely color from, this lovely play of color, they’re made of silica and water, and it’s the water which actually makes the opal, because it’s like an oil slick, you’ve got this play…defraction between the different layers of the silica with the water in between,” the expert explained.
The expert also revealed that some people believed opals to be unlucky. As the water inside them dries out, they lose their color on the surface. The guest said that she did not know for sure how much her husband paid for it, but guessed that it was a modest amount.
The expert then said, “Well, I think it was a pretty handsome apology because, for insurance purposes, I would value this necklace at somewhere between £5,000 ($6,773) and £6,000 ($8,128) today.” The guest was shocked as she gasped and said, “What?!” She couldn’t help laughing in disbelief. “I’m going to have to apologize to him,” she added.
“I’ve just spotted that one, actually,” the expert added, pointing to the ring the guest had worn. She said that it was also a gift from her husband, but as a birthday present. When she learned that it was worth a few thousand pounds, she was once again surprised. “Well, that’s much more valuable, actually, because that’s a black opal,” he added. The guest then said that it was worth £1,500 ($2,032). “He’s obviously got a good eye for these things,” the expert said, before adding, “I have to employ him myself.”
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