Marsh Steel, Jade & Diamond Ring, ca. 1950
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GUEST:
I inherited it from my mother-in-law, who inherited it from her aunt, and her aunt lived in Chicago, and it was purchased there, I'd assume around the 1920s, but I don't, I don't know. My mother-in-law gave it to me before she passed away. I, I just absolutely love it. It's one of my favorite things, and I think that it's-- I assume it's jade, and the thing I like best about it is the iron part of it.
APPRAISER:
Well, this is jewelry that is quite unusual and rare. It is called Marsh, M-A-R-S-H. Sometimes called Marsh's, because that was the name of the store it was sold from. George Turner Marsh founded the Marsh store in 1876 in the San Francisco area. This is primetime Marsh, and I would say it's probably the late 1940s, early '50s. It is steel. It is oxidized steel.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
One way we can test for steel, because now it's popular to have oxidized gold and black gold...
GUEST:
Oh. Is the magnet?
APPRAISER:
Just take a magnet...
GUEST:
And it grabs it, doesn't it?
APPRAISER:
Gold isn't going to do that, and this is oxidized steel.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And Marsh was also known for adding the element of diamonds to the sides of the ring, and there were three other elements that Marsh would have used. The most common was pearl. After that, he did use coral, and after that, jade.
GUEST:
Jade.
APPRAISER:
And yours is one of the rarest. We really seldom see Marsh jewelry at all. It's not signed, we know it by its form and its design. The value has escalated drastically. You had this ring looked at by a couple of jewelers over the time you've owned it.
GUEST:
One recommended that I have it, have it appraised in another city, and I haven't had the opportunity to do it. And one said it's worth around $350, and I didn't think that was probably the case. But I'd still love it if it were. (laughs)
APPRAISER:
I don't think you could buy the jade for $350 or have the diamonds set, in this market. You know, Marsh jewelry has now been recognized not just nationally, but internationally, and the collectors are vying for it in the international market.
GUEST:
This is sounding better and better! (laughs)
APPRAISER:
On the retail level, this ring, with jade being rare, as it is, would sell in today's market for about $7,500.
GUEST:
Well, I have worn it and enjoyed it, and I will continue to do that.
APPRAISER:
It's a far cry from $350.
GUEST:
Yes, it is! (laughs) Yeah. A little off.
Appraisal Details
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