Yellow Diamond Ring, ca. 1905
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GUEST:
Well, this ring is my inheritance from my parents. And the ring was actually bought at an estate sale back in the '40s or '50s by a couple that I considered surrogate grandparents. And when the wife of that couple died, my parents purchased it for $500 in the mid-'70s.
APPRAISER:
What do you know about the ring? Have you ever had it appraised?
GUEST:
My parents had it appraised in the mid-'70s. It was appraised at that time for right around $6,000. At that time, they called the cut of the diamond a mine cut-- old mine cut. And then it was appraised again in the early '80s for around $15,000...and that appraiser called the diamond cut a European cut.
APPRAISER:
We call these old European cut, this particular stone, because it's round and it's got an open culet. When you look into the center of the stone, you can see through it. But did they talk about the color?
GUEST:
No, that the center cut is a yellow diamond. And the other one said something very fancy.
APPRAISER:
Someone gave it a... right. Well, you know, the second appraiser was more accurate in the cut and that he called it a fancy yellow. I would even go one step further and call it a fancy intense because it is a rich, rich yellow. This ring was fashioned around 1900 to 1910, and that's because of the platinum and yellow gold. That's the vintage of these rings, the vintage of the cutting, and also the style. We call this a princess style ring. You have really an antique diamond ring.
GUEST:
It's over 100 years.
APPRAISER:
Over 100 years old. And really pure and natural. They didn't really color diamonds back then. I actually don't know exactly where it was made. Difficult because it has no marks on it. Now, what's happened in the diamond market? We are now here in 2013. Today, if you were to get this appraised, the first thing is you'd have to get a certificate to determine, "Is this a natural color?" I am absolutely sure that this is a natural color. However, you'd need to have that certificate. If I were going to give you a value for replacing insurance, you're almost at $60,000 for this diamond. And the diamonds around it, we don't want to just throw them out. They're beautiful old cut stones. They're about 2.5 carats. I think the mounting alone is worth over $5,000.
GUEST:
Oh my.
APPRAISER:
So I think insurance replacement in the market today with the certificate would be over $60,000.
GUEST:
Oh, that's wonderful.
APPRAISER:
In the market. Without the certificate stating that it is natural, fancy intense, you're at about $30,000. Big difference.
GUEST:
Yes.
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.
