Brooch, Pendant, & Grape Shears
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GUEST:
These pieces were left to my mother from my great-aunt: a diamond brooch, a French paste hanger and what I was made to understand with this is candle snipper.
APPRAISER:
This is the last will and testament of Miss Mabel Hastings.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
It's very interesting about getting pieces from an estate. When you're not present at the estate appraisal, they send you or ship you items that are completely different than what's in the will.
GUEST:
Yes. Which is apparently what happened here.
APPRAISER:
And we can prove that because we have the documents. This particular will and document-- on the first number it says "my diamond brooch," which is true. This is a diamond brooch. The second item that was willed is "my other diamond brooch." This is not a brooch, it's a pendant. So already we're thinking about something as not being right in the will. And "my cornelian enamel necklace gold." And there is no gold here whatsoever. What we have here is a will that has not been fulfilled properly. Therefore, your mother, at the time when she received it, she should have complained. But of course back in 1956 she didn't complain and now we're 2000, it's too late. The pin is a very nice gold pin in the back with rose diamonds on top, but the diamonds are set in silver. So that tells us the pin was made somewhere around 1865, 1870-- in that area. It happens to be a very nice little scarf pin. But the other diamond pin-- which this is not a pin, it's a pendant-- is silver, but they're not diamonds. They are paste. They call it French paste-- foiled from the back to look like diamonds so therefore probably made in France. It's fairly old, turn of the century, but it has nothing to do with diamonds. And that is not a candle snuffer; it is a grape shears because it has a sharp edge to it. And it's not silver. It's silver-plated.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
So that's the other thing. It's a very collectible piece. All in total, the value is not important.
GUEST:
No.
APPRAISER:
This is worth about $150. And your diamond pin on the open market today is worth somewhere around $1,000.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
So your mother did not get her full inheritance.
GUEST:
No.
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.
