'Antiques Roadshow' guest couldn't stop laughing after hearing the value of her grandma's necklace
“Antiques Roadshow” is known for guests walking in with family heirlooms, without any clue about the historic significance of an item or the iconic artist who made a painting. Jewelry is, in any case, valuable, especially with a big diamond on it, but it's worth a lot more if it has a historic origin story. A guest on "Antiques Roadshow" once brought a pearl and diamond necklace, which received a massive six-figure appraisal. The guest had inherited it in 1988 and said that it was valued at $10,000 back in the day.
The necklace originally belonged to the guest’s grandmother, who then passed it on to her mother, before it reached her. When asked if she had worn it outside, she said that it was only at her wedding that she flaunted the necklace. She wasn’t the only one, since her sister had also worn it to her wedding. At first glance, it was evident that this piece was going to be worth a lot of money. However, the guest probably did not expect the expert to say that it had a conservative value of $250,000. The diamond market’s volatility is what made the price shoot up, and it could be worth a lot more in the future. The guest was in disbelief upon hearing this. “Oh boy. Thank you very much. That’s amazing,” she said.
One of the reasons for such a high valuation was that the original box was in excellent condition. Secondly, the necklace boasted of two large diamonds. One of them was five carats, and the other was two. Thirdly, the necklace was made of platinum, one of the most valuable metals on the planet, and had pearls attached to it. Smaller diamonds also surrounded the bigger ones, which played a role in enhancing the necklace’s value.
Guests who bring in jewelry to “Antiques Roadshow” are often pleasantly surprised by their items’ appraised value. In a different episode of the show, one guest brought a pair of bracelets dating back to the early 1900s. These bracelets could be fitted together and used as a choker necklace. The whole thing was studded with diamonds and was purchased by her father for $20,000 in the early 1970s.
The multiple diamonds added up to make it a 23-carat necklace. The expert said that the diamonds were mined in the Cape region of South Africa and had a characteristic yellow tint. Before her father purchased it, the bracelets belonged to the guest’s great-great-great aunt, who, as per the guest, made her fortune with her husband in the import-export business of bananas.
“It’s not signed, which is the only thing that would add more to its value. It is in a fitted box, which I believe to be original, that is also unsigned. So, no real clues about exactly who made it,” the expert added. When it came time to place a value on it, she said that it could bring $60,000 to $90,000 at an auction.
