'Antiques Roadshow' guest holds her chest after hearing about cost of repairing family's gold clock
"Antiques Roadshow" know that their heirlooms are significant but are still not prepared to learn about the fascinating truth behind them. This was the case with a mother-daughter duo who brought their "French Golden Clock" to the show. While they knew their item was important for their family, it was expert Hugh Scully who shed light on the clock's worth, leaving the guests in shock.
In the episode, the guest shared the sweet provenance of the item. "Well, it's a funny story, because my grandfather, when he died, forgot to make a special note in his will to say that he wished this to come down to his granddaughter, which is me. So, in fact, it all went up to a sale with all the other clocks and other very fine pieces that he had, and my father had to actually go and rebid for this clock to get it back again," she shared with Scully.
The expert then noted that the clock came with some documentation as well, which was proof of its authenticity. He explained that it was a 'once-a-year wind-up clock' that had a maintenance contract with the company. He explained that the clock was French and the metal was gilded with gold, with the inside dial encrusted with diamonds. "We call them four glass clocks for the very logical reason that there are one or two, three, four glasses in the case, and usually they're much plainer than this. This one is a particularly elaborate case and the dial with its Diamante bezel," he explained.
He further noted that the clock on the inside was in perfect condition, but the casing on the outside had suffered some wear and tear. "I suspect at some time there's been some very acidic atmosphere and you've actually got green verdictions. It wouldn't be too bad a thing to have it repaired, provided you can get it done by somebody who can get the color correct," he told the guest.
The guest then asked him if she could do the gilding herself, as she worked in illumination and with gold as well. However, the expert wasn't too sure about that. "Oh, you definitely need an expert. This is done by Electric gilding by placing the rarest parts of the clock into a solution with some very unpleasant chemicals. Then an electric current is passed through, and the gold is basically attracted onto the surface of the metal," he explained. Hearing this, the guest responded, "I've been very wise not to touch it!" Further, when Scully then told her that it would cost her about £2000 (~$2,660), their jaws dropped as one of them said, "That's worth more than the clock!"
In the end, the expert assured that the clock was worth much more than that, and not spending that money would not be a good idea for the appraisal.
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