Italian Sapphire & Diamond Bracelet
GUEST:
My great-aunt brought this from Europe to my grandmother as a wedding gift. My grandmother gave it to me for my first birthday. And my great-aunt was told that it came from the Russian nobility. And that's all we know.
APPRAISER:
When I took a look at the gold workmanship, we have what we call the foliage and sort of tendril motif, which is going throughout the whole bracelet. We also have this amazing, really fine, delicate enamel work--
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
--on the piece, and that goes throughout the whole bracelet as well,
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
front to back, which is a sign of a really great piece of jewelry. It's also studded with these tiny, tiny little diamonds. They're rose-cut diamonds,
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
which is very typical of jewelry that was made in the late 1800s.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
They also go around the whole bracelet, and they're studded throughout the whole bracelet. In the center is this really amazing cabochon sapphire. I would say estimated weight of about eight to ten carats.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
The cabochon sapphire is very typical of the jewelry that was made in Europe around that time period. They would opt to... facet... not facet the stones, so that would mean that that would be cut in cabochon, and cabochon is just a polished surface, as opposed to the faceted surface. There's no marks on it that tell me it's a Russian piece. I would actually say that it's probably from Italy.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
They were doing a lot of great workmanship in Naples and Rome and in Florence.
GUEST:
That's where she was. She was in... south of Rome.
APPRAISER:
This type of sapphire also could possibly be a Burmese stone, which was popular at that time period. And I want to also show you one thing that tells me it's probably from the late 1800s. It's this clasp mechanism, which we have here. And it's called the tongue-and-groove, and that goes right into the piece, and it locks right in there. And you can actually hear the lock.
GUEST:
Right, you can. Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
Snap. You also can see underneath it it's all pierced from behind. That's all done with a tiny tool, and it's open-work design. It's handmade and beautifully crafted. I think a really fine piece of gold workmanship like this, in 18-karat gold, I would say... Okay, um, studded with diamonds with a sapphire in the center, I would say auction estimate between $6,000 to $8,000.
GUEST:
Oh, nice. Yeah.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
