18th-Century Spanish Necklace & Earrings
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GUEST:
My mother was given it by my father, I presume in the 1950s. And I really know nothing at all about it except that my mother gave it to me, and I love it.
APPRAISER:
The style is 17th century Spanish, but it's 18th century.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Your necklace is woven filigree gold, and it's probably a very high karat, easily 18 karat. You'd have to test it to make sure.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And therein with rose diamonds, which was very popular at the time. Unfortunately, nobody knows who made these. They were made in Spain, some were made in Portugal-- not quite as good quality-- and that's about all we know. Now, there are a couple problems with it. Unfortunately, you've got soft solder repair on the back. Fortunately, it doesn't show from the front. The only thing that shows from the front is one little pendant missing on the bottom. The box appears to be original except the fabric looks as if it's been changed, and a later fabric. The way it is now, retail today it's worth something in the neighborhood of $12,000 to $15,000.
GUEST:
You're joking? Oh, my God.
APPRAISER:
No, no.
GUEST:
I thought you were going to tell me a thousand, tops.
APPRAISER:
No, no, no, no, no.
GUEST:
Oh, my gosh.
APPRAISER:
And it might cost, if they can do it properly, about $3500 to restore it. And then your $30-3$5,000 if they do a proper job when they’re finished.
GUEST:
You’re kidding. Oh my gosh. That’s unbelievable. I’m absolutely gobsmacked. Completely gobsmacked, I had no idea. Thank you. Oh, my gosh, you’ve blown me away. Absolutely shocked.
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.
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