Cartier Tri-color Gold Bangle, ca. 1970
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GUEST:
I brought today, um, a bracelet that was my grandmother's. I was the first-born granddaughter, grandchild, and my grandfather always bought the best for his bride. And this was something that she cherished and she wore all the time. I know that it came from the Cartier store probably in Birmingham, Michigan, somewhere, because they lived there for a number of years. When they passed, this was handed down to me.
APPRAISER:
Do you know when she got it?
GUEST:
I do not know exactly.
APPRAISER:
And so approximately when did he buy at a Cartier?
GUEST:
It could have been 50 years ago, maybe a little bit more.
APPRAISER:
Sure.
GUEST:
It's hard to say.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
I don't know the whole story.
APPRAISER:
Well, this is a great design to wear. It's so easy.
GUEST:
It's so easy. It's so classic. It's a statement piece. I don't have to worry about anything else. And I think of her when I wear it.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, well, he had good taste, for sure.
GUEST:
Yeah, mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
I mean, Cartier is a great, iconic store.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
And you brought it up to the table in the original Cartier box.
GUEST:
Absolutely, absolutely. That was one of the greatest things about it. When my yaya was getting dressed, she would tell me to get the special box, and I knew, of course, that that was the red Cartier box.
APPRAISER:
The iconic Cartier.
GUEST:
Yeah, yeah.
APPRAISER:
I did some research on it and it seems like they're not producing this style anymore.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And indeed, I do think it's probably about 50 years old.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
Basically, the great part about this is that it's tricolor gold.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
We have the rose gold on the top, and then it's white gold in the middle...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And then yellow gold on the bottom. It's stamped "Cartier" and
"750."
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And 750 is for 18-karat gold.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
The two Cs on either side...
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
...is the symbol for Cartier.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And so that's like the double C motif. Sometimes it comes in plain gold. Sometimes they're embellished with tiny diamonds.
GUEST:
Oh!
APPRAISER:
And you can wear it not just to special occasions. I would think every day you could wear, wear this.
GUEST:
Do you think I'd sport it every day?
APPRAISER:
I think you could rock it out. (laughing) Yeah, for sure.
GUEST:
Well, then I'm gonna start.
APPRAISER:
Do you have any idea on its value?
GUEST:
I wouldn't even begin to guess. I have never even crossed the line of a Cartier store.
APPRAISER:
I would say a conservative auction estimate would be between $3,000 and $5,000.
GUEST:
Hey, that's wonderful.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
GUEST:
And it's just, it's more to my heart, too. But that's a great, great thing to know.
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