Persian Turquoise & Diamond Bracelet, ca. 1875
Watch
GUEST:
I bought this bracelet in a little, what I guess I would call bric-a-brac shop in Salem, Massachusetts.
APPRAISER:
How long ago?
GUEST:
Oh, about ten years ago.
APPRAISER:
Do you remember what you paid for it?
GUEST:
Not exactly, but probably $900 to $1,000, somewhere in that vicinity, probably.
APPRAISER:
I think the first thing you notice is it's just so vibrant, the color of the turquoise. And this happens to be Persian turquoise.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
And they're what we call buff tops, the way that this is just kind of rounded with a little bit of a peak. Persian turquoise, like any other turquoise, has a tendency, especially over a long period of time, from oils in our hands and the environment, to discolor.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
So the first thing I noticed about this is that it's just so vibrant, that robin egg blue that you look for. It's all there; none of it has discolored.
GUEST:
So I should keep my hands off of it is what you're saying.
APPRAISER:
(laughs) Keep it on your wrist, keep your hands off of it. It's Victorian. We were talking, all my colleagues at the jewelry table, as to where it was made, and initially, we were thinking it was made in England, but when we looked at it and we started looking at the mechanics and the hardware and the way it was constructed, we really believe that it's made in France.
GUEST:
Oh!
APPRAISER:
The bracelet itself is constructed of 18-karat yellow gold. It's hollow, but even though it's hollow, it's very sturdy because it's thick-walled. In other words, they didn't chintz when they made it. In the center of that star motif, you have an old mine diamond. Then surrounding that center and then again repeated here, here and here, you have rose-cut diamonds. And if you notice, right on the outside of the rose cuts, you got this delicate little line of black enamel inlayed.
GUEST:
Oh, I hadn't seen that.
APPRAISER:
So it just kind of offsets it. It's all the little attention to the little extra details when they made this that make it so special. Now, you had came in, and I think you just noticed it.
GUEST:
Yeah, I did, I never paid attention to that before.
APPRAISER:
What did you notice?
GUEST:
That there was a hinge.
APPRAISER:
What they call a thumbnail. You stick your finger in here...
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
and you pop it open.
GUEST:
Look at that.
APPRAISER:
And it reveals a locket that's never been used.
GUEST:
Never been used.
APPRAISER:
Was made to put somebody's portrait, anything that was personal.
GUEST:
And I had never noticed that before.
APPRAISER:
So you've never opened it before.
GUEST:
No, I've never opened it before.
APPRAISER:
That's great. I would say, at auction, this would easily be in a range of $6,000 to $8,000.
GUEST:
Oh, wonderful! That's amazing.
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.
