Gold, Diamond & Ruby Bracelet, ca. 1945
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GUEST:
I inherited it about 15 years ago and at that time it belonged to my half-sister. The person who had owned it originally was born in 1890, and we thought it was from around the turn of the century or 1920s, but we really didn't know so that's why I came down here to find out.
APPRAISER:
What you have here is an Art Deco diamond cocktail bracelet. It's an unsigned piece, but that does not detract from the value of the piece. It's made of platinum, and you can notice the geometric designs of the piece. That is typical of the Art Deco period. These are all European-cut diamonds set in here, which are cut typical of the period.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
The sapphires are synthetic. That just means they were grown synthetically around 1885, 1890 and they assembled the piece probably here in America. Do you have any kind of a value or... had any idea when you inherited the piece?
GUEST:
Well, when I inherited it it was appraised for estate tax purposes at $2,000.
APPRAISER:
And this was done when?
GUEST:
Um... '84, I believe.
APPRAISER:
1984, $2,000.
GUEST:
Yeah... yeah.
APPRAISER:
Well, total weight of diamonds for this bracelet is 11 carats, approximately. The center stone weighs one-and-a-half carats. The two side stones weigh roughly a carat plus. So you've got almost four-and-a-half carats right there. I would value this-- if it ever came up at an auction-- roughly $15,000 to $18,000.
GUEST:
Oh, really?
APPRAISER:
That's what this piece would bring.
GUEST:
Well, it certainly has improved in value.
APPRAISER:
Well, the diamonds are A-1 quality, they're white stones, they're clean. It's a well-made piece. Thanks for coming to the Antiques Roadshow.
GUEST:
Well, it was a pleasure.
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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