Pink Topaz, Diamond & Pearl Necklace, ca. 1910
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GUEST:
I got these from a Russian dealer. My grandfather used to give my grandmother a lot of jewelry, and then all the jewelry went to her youngest daughter. She sold it, so she could buy an airplane for her husband, who do nothing. So I'm starting to start a collection to revive what my grandfather have started with my grandmother.
APPRAISER:
The original purchase of the item.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
Was by you or by your mom?
GUEST:
By my mom.
APPRAISER:
By your mom.
GUEST:
Yeah, so I really don't know how much she paid for it.
APPRAISER:
If you look at the design, it's Edwardian, that period between 1901 and 1914.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Now, you know a little bit about it. You know that the stone is what?
GUEST:
I believe it is pink topaz, and I was told it was 14, 15 carat. I'm not so sure.
APPRAISER:
All right, so I know you had a GIA certificate done and it said it was pink topaz.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Now I did some measurements on it, and it also came up that it's around 14 carats.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
That's an exceptional size for a piece of pink topaz like this. Now, this type of topaz sometimes is referred to as cyclamen topaz. You can see that deep, rich pink.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And when you're talking about topazes, those are the colors you're looking for, that bright golden yellow, this fabulous pink.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
I mean, this is really a beautiful gemstone.
GUEST:
Thank you.
APPRAISER:
Then it's surrounded by all these old mine diamonds. And then as we travel up the necklace, you can see here it's set with all these pearls. And this is kind of a case where less is more. It's not about how much metal is there, how much diamonds is there. If you count all the diamonds in this piece, there's maybe ten karats total weight. And it's mixed diamonds. You got old miners and then you have rose cuts.
GUEST:
I see.
APPRAISER:
But you have all these beautiful clustered stations and you can see how the pearls are all wired together?
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
Now, the pearls are natural pearls. You asked me about some initials that are on it.
GUEST:
Yeah, there are some initials they said BBB and company.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
But I don't know what that means.
APPRAISER:
So if we flip it over, and we look right here.
GUEST:
Oh!
APPRAISER:
It says "BB and B."
GUEST:
What does that stand for?
APPRAISER:
Bailey, Banks & Biddle.
GUEST:
Oh!
APPRAISER:
One of the oldest jewelry companies to be established in early America, established in Philadelphia on Chestnut Street in 1832.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
They were kind of like the Tiffany of Philadelphia.
GUEST:
I see. All right.
APPRAISER:
Great eye for making fabulous pieces of jewelry. So it's a fantastic piece. Have you ever really thought, you know, we've always got to get to what's it worth? What would it go for at auction today?
GUEST:
I have no idea.
APPRAISER:
You had a previous appraisal.
GUEST:
Appraised at $10,000.
APPRAISER:
$10,000.
GUEST:
But they don't tell that it is BB, or whatever. They just say, "pink topaz, about $10,000."
APPRAISER:
So I would say to you that at auction today, a piece like this would be $30,000 to $50,000.
GUEST:
I see. Fantastic.
Appraisal Details
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