Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Ring, ca. 1970
GUEST:
So this was my mother's ring. This was from her second marriage. She was married to a man from Beverly Hills, and she met him in San Antonio. And within a couple of weeks, I think, they eloped. I think it was just a couple of weeks of knowing each other.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
And when she came back, they went on a trip to Beverly Hills, where he had a home there, as well as in San Antonio.
APPRAISER:
So when did your stepfather buy this for your mother?
GUEST:
I think it was around 1971 or 1972, is what I'm guessing-- probably closer to 1972.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm, and you said that you had a nickname for the diamond.
GUEST:
Yes, it was the-- she was married to a man named Denny. And she always called it the Denny Diamond.
APPRAISER (laughing): And did the marriage last long?
GUEST:
Um, they were just married, I think a couple of months, maybe.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
Maybe six months at the most. She was either the fourth or the fifth wife. At least she has a nice wedding... Nice ring to show for it.
APPRAISER:
She kept the diamond.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
She was a smart woman. (laughs)
GUEST:
Yes, she never, she never took off this diamond. It stayed on her finger.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
And she just never, never-- she refused to take it off. She was very sentimental about it.
APPRAISER:
Right.
GUEST:
Maybe the diamond.
APPRAISER:
(laughing): Not the marriage.
GUEST:
Not so much the marriage-- not the marriage so much, but...
APPRAISER:
Well, it's one of my favorite cuts of diamond. It's called an emerald cut, and emerald cuts first became popular in the '20s, because it's a very clean, modern cut. You have these beautiful step cuts in the front, and then these linear facets beneath. So it doesn't have the brilliance of the traditional round brilliant cut, but it really shows off the clarity of the stone. And that was one of the first things I noticed about this stone, was its incredible clarity, And that means its, its lack of inclusions. All diamonds-- well, most diamonds-- have some kind of inclusion. It's just a natural process of how they grow in the earth. But this diamond is very, very clean to the eye. I had, I had a problem finding anything inside it, which is very rare in a diamond. I also looked inside the band for a signature, and there wasn't one. But your mother was very smart, and she kept her paperwork.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
Which said that this was sold by Van Cleef & Arpels.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
It was probably signed at one point. Sometimes, when rings are sized...
GUEST:
I had it sized, to make it larger.
APPRISER: There you go. Sometimes the signature's right at the back of the band, and a jeweler will just take that signature off. So it would be hard to prove that it was from Van Cleef & Arpels, but, again, your mother was really smart, and she kept her paperwork. So the stone is a little over five carats. Again, it's a very, very clean stone. It's a relatively white stone. It's probably about an I color.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
This has a classic setting for an emerald-cut diamond, which is a four-pronged setting, and then at the side are two tapered baguettes.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm, and I know it's platinum. Set in platinum.
APPRAISER:
It's platinum. Oh, it's certainly platinum, yes. So the last time you had it appraised-- you had it appraised was?
GUEST:
Well, it's... 1973.
APPRAISER:
1973, and how much was it then?
GUEST:
$20,500.
APPRAISER:
Okay, well, it's gone up a little bit since then. Do you have any idea what he paid for it?
GUEST:
No. Just from the appraisal...
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm. ...
GUEST:
in '73, it could have been close to that amount.
APPRAISER:
Okay, so close to the $20,000.
GUEST:
Close to the $20,000.
APPRAISER:
Yes.
GUEST:
I'm just guessing, though.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm-- if this were at auction, we'd probably estimate it $80,000 to $120,000.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And if it-- if you were going to insure it, I'd probably recommend insuring it around $140,000.
GUEST:
Oh! Great. Well, that's a... That's a-- that's nice.
APPRAISER:
Exactly, yeah, the Denny Diamond's doing well.
GUEST:
I'll have to get some insurance on it.
APPRAISER:
(laughs)
GUEST:
Thank you.
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.