Diamond & Platinum Ring, ca. 2000
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GUEST:
Uh, about 20 years ago, my husband and I were in New Orleans, you know, one of the auction houses. And we happened to walk by, and I saw a baroness was having a bunch of her pieces, um, being auctioned off. I saw that ring, and I knew it was mine. (chuckles) And when I found out it was from a baroness... (chuckles) ...well, that even made it more special to me. And I decided, before purchasing it, to have an appraiser come and take a look at it. And they had a list of appraisers that would come to the shop and, and, and look. And the particular guy I chose decided he wanted to purchase it from the auction house, right in front of me, while he was there being paid by me to look at this ring.
APPRAISER:
Wow.
GUEST:
The auction house was pretty upset about it, and they told him he had to come the day of if he w, had any interest in it, that they were not gonna just go ahead and sell it outright to him.
APPRAISER:
Sounds unethical to a point, with you paying someone to give you a professional opinion, and here he tries to buy it. Did you get a refund for the appraisal?
GUEST:
(laughing) No-- I should've.
APPRAISER:
(both laughing) And can you tell me what you paid for it?
GUEST:
Uh, I was talking to my husband earlier, 'cause I didn't remember exactly, but we think it was around $20,000. Don't have it insured, work out in the garden all the time with it, so... (laughing)
APPRAISER:
Okay, what you have here is a European-cut, uh, diamond. So, it's an older cut. Of course, it's in a setting, so it's hard to pinpoint exact carat weight, but by measurement, it's about 5.80. It has a little bit of, uh, warmness to it. It's hard to get an actual color grade on it because of the setting...
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
...but we all agree it's about a K color. It was very difficult to find any type of inclusions in the stone. So, we're gonna call it a VS2, though I do believe it's a, a better-quality stone. But...
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
A VS2 is what we feel comfortable at the moment calling it. So, it's not insured? (chuckles): Okay.
GUEST:
Should I quit working in my garden with it?
APPRAISER:
(laughs) I would say yes.
GUEST:
(laughs): Okay.
APPRAISER:
Retail value on the diamond, we're looking at $130,000.
GUEST:
Oh, you're kidding me! Oh, my gosh! Really?
APPRAISER:
And the setting adds another $8,000.
GUEST:
That's unreal, that's... I really got a good deal. I guess that's why the guy wanted to buy it out from under me. (laughs) Thank you so much.
APPRAISER:
You're welcome.
GUEST:
Very much.
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.
