Rose Cut Diamond Jewelry, ca. 1955
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GUEST:
Well, I was fortunate to have inherited it from a wealthy Dutch aunt. I was born in Amsterdam, in Holland, and my parents were there during the Nazi occupation and decided for many reasons to emigrate to America. So, we came and lived in a converted barn in Connecticut, and during that time, my mother's younger sister came for a visit, decided to stay there. She ultimately met my father's boss, fell in love, and they were married in 1955, and before too long, they went back to Holland and invested in antiques, antique jewelry, paintings, porcelain, and when she died, I inherited some beautiful things.
APPRAISER:
Lovely. And do you know anything about the jewelry at all?
GUEST:
Well, the pearls were her wedding jewelry, the others, all I know is that they are antique diamonds.
APPRAISER:
Wonderful. All the pieces are set with diamonds: the clasp on the necklace, the bracelet, the brooch, the earrings, the bracelet and the ring. They're all set in silver, backed in gold, and the diamonds are what are called rose cut diamonds. They're very typical of diamonds you would find in Holland, and they're typically associated with antique jewelry from the 17th and 18th centuries.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
In looking at these pieces closely, though, these are in the antique style.
GUEST:
Ah.
APPRAISER:
So these are actually not antique; these were done in the 1950s.
GUEST:
Oh, interesting.
APPRAISER:
So it corresponds with the history of when she was married.
GUEST:
Sure.
APPRAISER:
And when she emigrated to Holland. We also know this because in looking at the pieces, they have Dutch hallmarks on them that correspond to 1955. I particularly like the brooch. It's beautifully articulated, set with the rose cut diamonds. It has a lot of life to it, and the corresponding bracelet, too, I think is really quite wonderful in the way that it really picks up the style of the 19th century in terms of that old antique style. These are cultured pearls, and these are very typical of the 1950s. They're slightly irregular. Culturing at this time period was not as advanced as it is today.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
So, these don't typically look as round and as even in their surface quality as modern pearls, but I like these older pearls. They've got a little bit of...a very creamy color, and I think it adds to that antique quality of the necklace and the bracelet.
GUEST:
Sure.
APPRAISER:
Have you ever had the items appraised, or do you have any sense of the value of the items?
GUEST:
We had them appraised locally, around $8,000 for the pieces.
APPRAISER:
Well, things have changed quite a bit over the years. Diamond prices have increased. I would say that in the current market, given current conditions, I would put the insurance value at between $25,000 and $30,000.
GUEST:
Oh my goodness! Oh, my goodness. Oh...my. When I bring it out of the safety deposit box and my husband looks at it, he starts mentioning he needs a new pickup...
APPRAISER:
(laughs)
GUEST:
And I say, "No, it's going back into the safety deposit."
Appraisal Details
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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."
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