'Antiques Roadshow' guest gets a $10,000 appraisal for pendant watch — then she refused to sell it
The sentimental value attached to an item on "Antiques Roadshow" is far more than any appraisal it could get. This was proved by the owner of a magnificent 'Tiffany & Co. Pendant Watch' made by Patek Philippe, who refused to put it up for auction despite the show's expert, Kevin Zavian, telling her that it could bring over $10,000. The guest stated that the sentimental value of the item was too much to let it go.
In the old episode of the PBS show, the guest brought the item to the Boston, MA show. "What I've brought in is a pendant watch that was my husband's grandmother's. I've kept the necklace part of it separate and worn it many times. I don't wear the watch very often," she told Zavian. She further showed a previous appraisal of the item from 1968, which valued the watch at $1,250.
"When I was reading, it talks about the pearls being 'Oriental'. That's an old term, and what it means, though, is that they're natural pearls," Zavian explained. He noted that the pearls went all around the necklace and the pendant watch, and each of them was a precious natural pearl that occurred in nature without human intervention. He further added that inside the pendant, there was a special type of enamel which was also of value. "They do engraving on the metal and then they put the translucent and enamel on top of the engraving," Zavian explained.
He further explained that the metal used in the item was platinum, as it gave it a blue sheen. "Now, it happens to be signed Tiffany & Company, and on top of that, when we open up the back of the watch, it gets even better," he told the guest. He then revealed that the watch was made by the famed luxury watchmaker, Patek Phillipe. "I've learned that through the Antiques Roadshow," the guest exclaimed, referring to the several high appraisals of Patek Phillipe watches on the show.
She then asked Zavian if she should put the chain back and make it as it was originally. The expert told her that she had to do it as it would bring a lot of value to it. He added that the jeweler who separated the item did it beautifully, as he didn't solder the link and kept it open for re-linking. He showed what the item would look like if it were put back together and said the guest would need to wear it out with the watch in the future.
Coming to the appraisal, Zavian asked the owner if she had a number in mind. The guest said that she was expecting it to be more than $1,250. The appraiser then noted that a few years ago, the watch would have been worth $3,000 to $5,000 or even $4,000 to $6,000. However, in the current market, at auction, the item was easily worth $8,000 to $10,000. While the number was high, the owner made it clear that it wasn't for sale. "It's not going," she said.
In the end, the appraiser noted that it wasn't the first time that a guest refused to sell a family heirloom. He still thanked the owner for bringing the item out to the show.
