'Antiques Roadshow' guest almost cries after hearing the value of items left behind by her late mom
Artifacts and heirloom inherited from parents always reamin invaluable to people, but "Antiques Roadshow" is one platform that helps them know their real worth. When the owner of a '20th Century Jewelry, Compact, and Purse' brought the collection to the show, it caught the eyes of the expert, Lucy Gorgan. In the end, the she left the guest almost in tears by delivering a staggering appraisal of $38,000.
In the episode of the PBS show, the guest shared the emotional provenance of the items. "This belonged to my mother, and she passed away-- it was two years ago in April, and she was originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and she was quite a social, beautiful woman who was very interested in fashion and entertaining. I would imagine a lot of these were gifts," she told Gorgan.
She further added that her mother was a collector, and the items were her prized possessions. Taking over, Gorgan noted that the collection caught her eye as it was a "wonderful snapshot of four of the major jewelry periods or movements." Pointing to the brooch, she explained it was from the Art Deco period, which spanned from 1920 to 1930. "It was a period of extreme opulence and extravagance in our country," she said. "It's comprised of platinum and diamonds. The center diamond weighs about a half-carat, and it's framed by additional old European-cut diamonds and single-cut diamonds. I calculated that the total carat weight for the whole brooch is about six carats worth of diamonds," Gorgan added. She then went on to appraise the item at $7,000, much to the guest's surprise.
Coming to the next item, she noted that the compact was a "wonderful example of the 1920s." "It is from the Retro period. The Retro period dated from about 1935 to 1950," she explained. Gorgan added that it was made of gold and silver with sapphire set clasps. Most importantly, it was signed by Tiffany and Company. "And at auction today, I would expect the cigarette case to bring about $1,000," she stated.
She then moved on to the woven purse, which came from the Retro jewelry period of the 1950s. "This was a period of extreme economic growth and success, so we have a very heavy 18 karat gold woven body of the purse with a very beautifully decorated diamond and emerald clasp. The handbag is Italian," she explained. Gorgan then went on to appraise the item at a whopping $20,000.
The expert then moved on to the pendant from the 1960s. "And, finally, we have this beautiful pendant that is made by Van Cleef & Arpels. And we see that here with a signature on the back, it says, 'VCA, New York,'" Gorgan noted. She explained that the item was encrusted with a Colombian emerald, which was about five-and-a-half carats.
"It's a very beautiful piece, and at auction today, I'd say it's worth about $10,000. I would expect the entire collection to bring about $38,000," she concluded. Hearing this, the guest choked up and nearly broke into tears as she said, "Oh, thank you, Lucy. She'd [her mother] be so pleased."
In the end, the guest thanked the expert for the appraisal in an emotional moment.
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