Art Deco Diamond & Platinum Brooch, ca. 1930
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GUEST:
Well, it was my grandmother's pin, given to my mother. And then, my mother gave it to me. Sad to say, I don't know where my grandmother got it, if her husband gave it to her for an important birthday or anniversary, or a gift from her father. I have no idea. She gave it to me at age 94. She said she wasn't wearing it that much, so she said I could have it. My mother was... said my grandmother was always so sweet and let her wear her jewelry. And she wore it when she was in college. She went to a dance and had it on and lost the pin at the dance. I don't know if she was doing the Charleston or what, but she lost it. And then, her Aunt Florence was there, and she went to her and said, "I've lost the pin." She goes, "What? You've lost your grandmother's diamond pin?!" Anyway, so...
APPRAISER:
No more jewelry for you!
GUEST:
Yeah, yeah, but anyway, they found it at the dance. Thank heavens. (laughs)
APPRAISER:
Well, it's so beautiful, and it, it really struck me when I first saw it. It's such a nice example of a strong Art Deco piece. It's a brooch, and it is all pierced platinum and diamonds. The center diamond is an old European-cut diamond, and it weighs just over one carat. It's a nice, white, lively stone, and it really grounds the design overall, which is all hand-done. It's not signed, unfortunately.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
I hoped to find a signature on it. But it is in its original box from Myron Freeman and Brothers, who was a jeweler out of Atlanta at the time, which would have been around about 1930.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
Overall, there's about four-and-a-half carats in the brooch, including the center stone. And at auction today, I would give it a conservative estimate somewhere in the neighborhood of $6,500 to $8,500.
GUEST:
Wow. That's nice to know, although, as I said, I have no intention of selling it, because I, I love the family history with it.
APPRAISER:
Yes.
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