Art Deco Diamond & Platinum Ring, ca. 1920
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GUEST:
The ring belonged to my grandmother, who was born in, I think, 1895? I really don't know much about it. I did not know her very well. I only met her a couple of times during my life, and the ring came to my mother, and my mother wore it quite a bit. My mother never told me anything about it, so I just wear it. Never had it appraised. I was afraid that it might just be a piece of glass. But...
APPRAISER:
(laughs): Okay.
GUEST:
So I thought, "Well, I'll bring it." Mm-hmm. "Let's see what it is."
APPRAISER:
And what do you like about this piece?
GUEST:
Well, it's big. I like big jewelry, and this looks, uh, kind of a little ostentatious, so that's okay.
APPRAISER (laughs): Well, it's a, it's a beautiful ring. This is an early Art Deco piece from the 1920s. We have a emerald-cut diamond on the center. The clarity of the stone is an SI1, which is slightly included. And the color is H in color, so it's near-colorless. And if you could estimate the size of that stone, what would you estimate it to be?
GUEST:
Two carats?
APPRAISER:
Well, it's a little larger. It's actually 3.30 carats, so it's a little bit under three-and-a-half carats.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And then you have two accent baguettes.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
And they're straight baguettes. Usually, you'll see pieces with tapered baguettes. This, these are straight, and they're channel-set, or half-channel.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
That's what the bars are called in between each diamond. Those measure about 15 points each. So all together, you have about 3.60 carats. So a little bit over three-and-a-half carats.
GUEST:
Oh, a little over three-and-a-half, okay.
APPRAISER:
All together. We don't have a way of knowing the maker, because there's no hallmarks or maker's marks. The inside of the ring is marked platinum, which helps me identify that it was made in the U.S., likely in New York City. If this was to be offered at auction, I would estimate a value of $20,000 to $25,000.
GUEST:
Oh, wow, oh, my! Oh, gosh.
APPRAISER:
(laughs)
GUEST:
Yow. Whoa! I didn't...
APPRAISER (laughs): Are you okay?
GUEST:
Oh, that's a lot.
APPRAISER:
Yes, it's, it's...
GUEST:
Oh!
APPRAISER:
The design, it transcends ages, because you still see this style being sold nowadays. It's a very popular style.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
It's this really timeless piece.
GUEST:
Oh, oh, gee, that's great.
APPRAISER:
Now...
GUEST:
(laughs)
APPRAISER:
I would expect an insurance, uh, estimate of about $50,000. If you had to go out and replace it...
GUEST (gasps): Oh, my God.
APPRAISER:
...I would expect to see that for insurance purposes.
GUEST:
Oh, my God. (aloud): Okay.
APPRAISER:
(chuckles)
GUEST:
That's more money than I ever thought.
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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