Cartier Sapphire & Diamond Ring
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GUEST:
My husband gave it to me ten years ago for our anniversary. I know it's 11 carats of sapphire, five carats of diamond, in a platinum setting, and it's marked Cartier.
APPRAISER:
Okay, great. That's good basic information for it. I wanted to point out a couple of things, starting with the sapphire.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Looking at the type of sapphire it is, it's a beautiful bright blue pear shape sapphire. This type of sapphire generally is a Ceylon sapphire. Now, do you have any paperwork on it or anything, or a certificate from a gem lab stating its origin?
GUEST:
When he bought the ring, they gave him an appraisal from 25 years ago, and it was listed $34,000.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
That's all we have.
APPRAISER:
And how much did he pay for it?
GUEST:
Less than $15,000.
APPRAISER:
Okay, great. And where was it purchased?
GUEST:
In Knoxville, Tennessee. From an estate sale, a person from the estate sale.
APPRAISER:
Okay, great. And that's all the information that was provided?
GUEST:
That's all we know.
APPRAISER:
Well, I'm very curious, because I do believe that this could be a Ceylon sapphire. It's a Sri Lankan stone formally known as Ceylon, and it's the type of sapphire that hails from that area. It's a very bright blue, beautiful, intense cornflower blue.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Surrounding it are these beautiful pear shaped diamonds and fancy cut diamonds all around the mounting. And I do believe that it's probably made in the 1950s to 1970s. The Ceylon sapphires right now are bringing an all-time high for auction records. I would say for auction purposes, you would be looking at an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000.
GUEST:
My gosh. I don't believe it. It's fantastic.
APPRAISER:
It's great.
GUEST:
It's beautiful. Is that just for the sapphire, or for the whole ring?
APPRAISER:
Well, the sapphire really dictates the value.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
But the fact that it is signed Cartier does help as well.
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.
