An Antiques Roadshow guest fought back tears after discovering the enormous value of her grandmother’s “magic” pendant with a hidden trick.
Sunday’s episode of the BBC show took place at Belfast Botanic Gardens and saw jewelery expert Susan Rumfitt present two very special items.
The guest gave her a necklace, a brooch and a black and white photograph of a glamorous woman.
‘A little magic here today. Pearls on the pendant, diamonds on the brooch and quite a glamorous lady. “Tell me about her,” said Susan.
The guest explained: ‘She is my grandmother, her name was Irene Picks and she married my grandfather before the First World War. He was killed in France at the beginning of the war.
“After she died, she went to England and married someone called Robin Buxton and I think he probably gave her these jewels, and then my father gave them to me after my grandmother died.”
An Antiques Roadshow guest fought back tears after discovering the enormous value of her grandmother’s ‘magic’ pendant with a hidden trick.
The guest handed over a necklace, a brooch and a black and white photograph of a glamorous woman.
Jewelry expert Susan Rumfitt dated both items to the late 19th century and early 20th century.
She added that her grandmother was a “theater girl” when Susan commented on how “glamorous” she was.
As the appraisal began, Susan focused her attention on the “delicate flower brooch” and commented on its “beautiful cut diamonds.”
Despite not being signed or hallmarked, he realized that it came from a “good jeweler.”
Pointing to the intricate engraving around the edge, he said it helped date it to “the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century” and that it would have been “a very nice thing to have.”
Susan said the necklace comes from a similar time period and is known as a lapel pendant, with two drops that are slightly different lengths.
Revealing a secret feature of the piece, he said: ‘Have you noticed there are some accessories on the back of the drops?
‘Well, those accessories allow you to take off the drops and wear them as earrings too.
‘So it’s very much a multifunctional pendant, right? It’s really cool.’
He also theorized that the small diamond crown at the top of the piece indicates that it could have been made for a special royal occasion.
Susan added: ‘In the period we are looking at, there were cultured pearls starting to appear on the market; however, they are most likely natural pearls.
“They have a beautiful shine to them, they’re slightly different in shape and size, which, again, I think is just beautiful, absolutely wonderful.”
“In the case of natural pearls, of course, what will really tell us for sure is an x-ray, but I am very, very sure that these are natural pearls.”
Susan went on to reveal the value of both items and continued: ‘I love the diamond brooch. If it came up for auction, I would expect it to fetch between £5,000 and £7,000.
‘Wow. Good. I wasn’t expecting that. Not at all,” responded the guest, visibly surprised.
Despite not being signed or hallmarked, he realized that the brooch came from a “good jeweler.”
Susan explained that the necklace is known as a lapel pendant, with two drops of slightly different lengths.
She also revealed the secret feature of the pendant, pointing out the attachments behind the drops that allow them to be removed and worn as earrings.
However, it was the appraisal of the pendant that really took the woman and the public by surprise.
‘Then we have the beautiful pendant, it is absolutely stunning. So the auction estimate is £20,000 to £30,000,’ Susan said, eliciting a gasp from the woman and the crowd.
The people watching began to applaud as the guest teared up and covered her face in shock.
‘Oh my god. Wow. It never crossed my mind,’ she said as she fought back tears.
In an interview, he added: “It’s just a tremendous shock.” I always thought it was a nice pendant and worth, maybe, not much, not much, no.
‘It really took my breath away, that’s all I can say. Incredible.’
Antiques Roadshow airs on BBC One and iPlayer.