Tiffany Favrile Scarab Beetle Necklace, ca. 1915
Watch
GUEST:
As a young person, I was given an old scarab, an Egyptian scarab, and so I'd always been fascinated with those, and so about 15, 20 years ago I went to an antique show and I saw this and I thought... (gasps) It reminded me of a piece of jewelry my mother had that had Brazilian butterfly wings, and I thought, "Oh, that's the color." And then I got to looking and I thought, "I think this is Tiffany." And so I bought it.
APPRAISER:
And what did you pay for it?
GUEST:
It's been a long time, but I think around $400.
APPRAISER:
Around $400. And it was at a local antique show, something like that?
GUEST:
Yes, yes, here in town.
APPRAISER:
Well, let's talk about the scarabs.
GUEST:
All right.
APPRAISER:
A scarab is a beetle.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And it was an Egyptian deity. They considered it a symbol of rebirth...
GUEST:
Aha.
APPRAISER:
...regeneration and life. Now, enter Tiffany. He made these beetles. This necklace is definitely Tiffany. It's Favrile glass. The chain is 18-karat. It is in the style of the 19-teens, around 1915. It has little short links and long links. The Tiffany & Co. mark is on the bottom of the central pendant. It is the legitimate and correct mark for the piece. It's a beautiful piece. And, at a good retail store, this piece would sell for $8,000 to $10,000.
GUEST:
(gasps) Gee. Did all right.
APPRAISER:
I'd say so.
GUEST:
Oh, my goodness.
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.
