'Antiques Roadshow' guest gets $7,000 appraisal for heirloom — then says 'it's not for sale'
Family heirlooms often appear on "Antiques Roadshow," and while they often fetch appraisals higher than the guest's expectations, the sentimental value is always above the price tag. This was the case with the owner of a 'Renaissance-revival Poison Ring' who told the show's expert, Sarah Churgin, that the family history of the item made it impossible for her to let it go. While Churgin gave it a staggering appraisal of $7,000, the guest made it clear that the ring wasn't for sale.
In the episode, the guest shared that the ring originally belonged to her grandmother, and it was passed down to her in the family. "My grandmother saw it in a jewelry store window in San Francisco in the early 1920s or before, and she was quite taken with it, and she bought it. And she called it a poison dart ring, but apparently, there are no darts involved," she shared with Churgin.
When asked why her grandmother thought it was a poison ring, the guest explained that the ring had a little hole, which used to be a button. "She thought that a dart would go in and you'd push down on the top of the ring, and that would shoot the dart into your enemy, with whom you were shaking hands. She was told it was worn on the thumb," she said. She further added that her grandmother was told that the ring was made by Cellini for Queen Isabella. However, she noted that the story wasn't true as the queen died when Cellini was four.
Churgin then took over to shed light on the provenance of the ring. "I think it's a Renaissance Revival ring. The Renaissance Revival took place in England and Italy and other parts around Europe from around 1860 through around 1900," she shared. "We feel that it's probably made in England, and I don't think it shoots poison darts, but it is a poison ring," the expert added. She then explained that the ring was made of 18-karat gold, in the shape of a salamander. She noted that ot was encrusted with rose-cut diamonds of different cuts. "And then it's got table-cut diamonds, and these are all diamond shapes that would have been used in the 15th, 16th century, when Renaissance jewelry was being made," Churgin added.
"If I turn this ring over, we can see Champlevé enamel underneath, done in sort of an Arts and Crafts pattern, where there's been a coil of green enamel, and then leaves enameled in with the blue over here. I'm not sure that it's a thumb ring. I suspect it might be a gent's ring," Churgin told the guest.
Churgin asked the guest if she had any idea of its value. The guest told her that she estimated it to be worth $1,000. However, Churgin had different ideas. "At auction, we would put an estimate in the range of $5,000 to $7,000," she said, leaving the guest in shock.
Watch the video here.
While the appraisal was staggering, the guest was in no mood to let the ring go. "Oh, that's great. It's not for sale," she said to Churgin in the end.
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