Jade Pendant & Compact
Watch
GUEST:
I brought my grandmother's necklace. She brought it from China. She came to the U.S. in 1923. And then this I bought on an online auction about four years ago.
APPRAISER:
You know about this particular piece, it's high-karat gold.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
It's, like, 22-, 23-karat gold.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
And the carving of the jade in this heart is jadeite. And it's a little mottled, but it's a new piece; it's not old. I mean, it has to be 100 years old before it's old.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Now, you brought me another piece here.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And do you ever use this?
GUEST:
No, I have not.
APPRAISER:
You know it's a compact.
GUEST:
Yes, I do, I do know it's a compact.
APPRAISER:
It's a two-stage compact, there's two compartments, with a mirror. Your two pieces of jade are broken.
GUEST:
Oh, are they?
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
This one has a slight crack in it and the top over here is missing, see?
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
They were representative Han Dynasty coins: the double carving, on both sides.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And Han Dynasty coins had holes in the middle. Now, those were good luck jade for that particular period of time.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
What I like about this compact is, the whole gold case is made from green gold, and that's very hard to do, and very rare.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
The gentleman who made this, which is not marked, knew what he was doing, because enamel adheres to green gold much better than yellow gold.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
And this is all black enamel, even on the back. Your chain is platinum. I don't think it really belongs on this piece, but it's a magnificent two-tone platinum chain. Now, how much did you pay for this?
GUEST:
$1,200.
APPRAISER:
Your jadeite piece over here would bring anywhere from $1,000 to $1,200 at auction.
GUEST:
Oh, okay.
APPRAISER:
Your compact, at auction, could easily go anywhere from $12,000 to $15,000.
GUEST:
(gasps): No kidding!
APPRAISER:
(laughs)
GUEST:
Oh, my God! I don't believe it. Oh, my God, really? It's... I don't, I don't believe it. That's-- my God.
APPRAISER:
Enjoy it.
GUEST:
Thank you.
Appraisal Details
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