Antiques Roadshow expert distracted by item not for valuation

Antiques Roadshow: Brooches valued at £40,000

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Antiques Roadshow host Fiona Bruce and her team of experts were set up at the Royal Marines Museum in Southsea, near Portsmouth. Rare spoons found in pig swill, a bangle left behind by a Russian princess, and a pile of paintings once owned by the man who inspired the character Indiana Jones were found throughout the day. However, it was the guests ring that caught the eye of expert Joanna Hardy who couldn’t help but give it a value.

During her first look at the collection, Joanna began: “Now this is a fantastic collection of jewellery and being so varied, there must be a story behind this.”

The guest explained: “Well, my father, when he was a young man, he and his brother used to knock on doors buying bits of broken jewellery.

“Well, whatever they could buy, and when the war broke out, they sent him into the dockyard. And we have a lot of people hard up, everybody got to know that Joe, if you wanted, he would always buy it off you.

“So lots of bits he kept, he sold a lot of the broken bits, most of the gold stuff, but he kept odd things, for his pension really.

“Unfortunately he died after he packed up work and this was what he bought.”

Joanna continued: “This is very exciting. I am going to start with this piece here. This is a hard stone cameo between 1760 to 1820.

“There is something special about it that you have probably noticed. There is this classical woman that has been carved in this hard stone and she is wearing a necklace set with diamonds.

“She has been dressed with beautiful little old cut diamonds. What is nice to see is that you have this beautiful carving here, and then a much later one.

“A much later Victorian carving depicting Prince Albert, a young Prince Albert, that’s who he is. It is a hardstone cameo.

“Then we have the locket with the diamond star motif, this is late Victorian, and then we have got the emerald and diamond brooch of about 1925,” she explained.

Joanna added: “There are no marks on it, it is probably in platinum, the craftsman has even gone to attention to detail and these wonderful emeralds are on the edge.

“That, to me, is a sign of a craftsman going that extra length to really try and make something special.

“Now, I am always a nightmare when it comes to going to dinner parties because my eyes are always looking at other people’s jewellery.

“So my eyes when I was standing here saw this red thing and I thought ‘Ooh this is an interesting ring’, which you didn’t show me.”

Looking at the guest’s ring, he admitted that his father had only paid £5 when he first bought it.

Joanna was stunned and exclaimed: “My goodness me! In this beautiful sunlight, it is just so prominent which is the way that it has been cut.

“I would say that you are talking, today, around about £4,000.”

The guest laughed in shock and shook his head: “You are joking!” before Joanna added: “I haven’t finished yet.

“This is what we are supposed to be talking about, not your ring! This hardstone cameo here, I would say this is in the region of about £3,000.

“Over onto the emerald and the diamond, they are pale in colour from a value point of view so you are looking at £4,000 for that one.

“And then the late Victorian locket and the hardstone cameo which are probably about £600 to £1,500. So collectively, with the ring, you are talking about £13,000 to £14,000.

“I think your father, unfortunately, didn’t enjoy his pension but you certainly will be able to enjoy yours.”

The guest laughed and exclaimed: “Amazing! Thank you!”

Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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