Diamond, Platinum & Gold Ring, ca. 1940
GUEST:
I purchased this ring in Naples, Italy. There was a lady that came to the house, and she sold jewelry of all different types. When I saw that ring, I fell in love with it. The story that she told me was that this ring was given to the youngest son in the kingdom. Which kingdom, I don't know. She also mentioned that it dated back to probably the 1800s. So I have had that ring since 1968. I had it sized down. It's supposedly a man's ring, but I liked it so much I had it sized down for me. The lady mentioned that the ring was from the 1800s.
APPRAISER:
The lady mentioned that the ring was from the 1800s.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And based on the design elements, with these rolls along the shoulders of the ring, that actually dates this stylistically to the 1940s.
GUEST:
You're kidding me.
APPRAISER:
It has a large diamond in the center. We've estimated the carat weight to be one carat. And it's a high-quality diamond as well. It's nice and white, it has very high clarity, and it's beautifully displayed in a combination of platinum and gold. And you've got accent diamonds along the sides. I know you said that you had been told that this ring was made in Italy.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
I've looked over the ring, and unfortunately I didn't find any hallmarks that would help authenticate that. I don't know if I can say that this was attached to any royalty either. That was a good story. I do believe it was originally a gentleman's ring.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
May I ask what you paid for the piece?
GUEST:
I paid $120.
APPRAISER:
So if I told you that at auction, a retro diamond ring such as this would have an auction estimate of $3,000 to $4,000...
GUEST:
Oh, very good.
APPRAISER:
...would you be surprised?
GUEST:
Surprising, yeah, very surprised.
Appraisal Details
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