Gold, Diamond & Turquoise Necklace, ca. 1960
Watch
GUEST:
My daughter was born 25 years ago, and I was working a very difficult job at that time that was 60 to 80 hours a week. Quit the job, went to another job, and this was my gift to myself at that time.
APPRAISER:
What do we know about this?
GUEST:
Well, I had a paper that came along with this, and I was going to bring it today but was unable to locate it. The paper said that it was made in approximately 1905 in Italy. It contains Turkish turquoise, I believe, is gold and has about nine carats of diamonds in it. And I think that's as much as I know about it.
APPRAISER:
What did you pay for the piece?
GUEST:
Close to $20,000, something like $19,995 or something.
APPRAISER:
Well, I have good news for you and I have bad news for you. You bought this piece of jewelry because you wanted something very nice, and it's really nice. It's gorgeous, it's sexy. Turquoise is a very hot color. The form of it is very good, it's very, very wearable. But there are a couple of signs here that show me that it is not quite as old as you were led to believe. The first tip-off is the diamonds here. These diamonds are brilliant-cut diamonds, and the brilliant-cut diamond isn't developed until around 1919. The form of the necklace is newer than that. This piece of jewelry appears to have been made in around 1960 to 1965. It is probably Italian. It is 18-karat gold. It's got a significant count of diamonds and very nice bright turquoise. They're Persian turquoise. It's the best of the best. The diamonds come around all the way to the clasp, and every link that connects the lozenge links is set with clusters of diamonds. We were talking at the table as to its value, and I'd give it a current auction estimate in the neighborhood of $8,000 to $12,000, which is somewhat less than you paid for it.
GUEST:
Significantly less.
APPRAISER:
If it were a 19th-century turquoise, gold and diamond piece, which are out there, it might sell for something approaching what you paid for it in a retail shop. At top retail, this might sell somewhere for around $15,000. The good news: it's totally gorgeous and we love it.
GUEST:
I like it. (laughs) You win some, you lose some, I guess.
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.
