An Antiques Roadshow guest was stunned to discover that one of her most prized pieces of jewelery was worth a total of four figures.
Joanna Hardy, who has more than 30 years’ experience at the Gemological Association, left one woman smiling like a Cheshire cat after revealing the ring was a “very rare” find.
Looking at the red and black box, the antiques expert joked that the packaging often gives her a good idea of what’s inside, adding: “The box itself is a work of art.”
Opening the package on the lawn of Alexandria Gardens in Cardiff, the antiques professional revealed a stunning blue stone sandwiched between two sparkling clear diamonds on a gold band.
Pressing the owner about the origin of the beautiful ring, the guest said: “It’s a tanzanite diamond ring.” It was made expressly for me, it was made for my ring size.’
An Antiques Roadshow guest (pictured) was shocked to discover her ring was worth more than £9,000.
Standing on the lawn of Alexandria Gardens in Cardiff, antiques expert Joanna Hardy revealed that the ring contained a rare and scarce blue stone called tanzanite (pictured).
Speaking of the timeless piece of jewelery and the “charming” piece of jewellery, Joanna dropped the bombshell that the precious blue stone has already become scarce globally after its fairly recent discovery.
‘Now tanzanites are very rare. They only come from one place: Tanzania. And they were actually discovered in 1967, so in the world of gems, [it was] very late,’ he said.
The tanzanite mine is about to run out. So, actually, this stone is not going to exist forever.”
Praising the woman, who had kept the ring in the box for years, on her investment, Joanna highlighted the four-carat value of the tanzanite gem, as well as the carats of diamonds adorning the gold band.
According to Joanna, the ring, which was apparently in perfect condition, was estimated to be worth more than £9,000.
The owner let out a loud gasp and joked, “Wow! Actually? 9 [thousand pound]?’
He added: “So it was a good investment, right?”, to which the antiques expert responded with a smile and a thumbs up.
This comes after another guest on the show was shocked to discover his gruesome family heirloom was worth a staggering five-figure sum.
During Sunday’s show set at Sefton Park in Liverpool, last summer’s repeat episode unearthed some shocking antiquities, including a collection of items that previously belonged to an executed earl.
The life of James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby, came to a gruesome end after he was accused of treason following the Battle of Worcester.
The antique expert (left) told the owner: Tanzanites are very rare now. They only come from one place: Tanzania.
Complimenting the box, Joanna also called the jewelery “lovely” before revealing its four-figure value.
Despite Oliver Cromwell’s support in his appeal to Parliament, he was later beheaded at Churchgate, Bolton, on 15 October 1651.
Although the collection of items relating to the earl’s gruesome end was estimated to be worth between £18,000 and £22,000, the owner believed that selling the items would be a “travesty”.
The antiques were brought to the popular daytime show by a descendant of William Prescott, a man who was present at the earl’s execution.
Explaining his ancestor’s connection to James Stanley, the guest said: ‘William was a great friend of the 7th Earl of Derby and served in the army with him.
And then, in 1651, the seventh earl was executed by decree of Parliament for high treason. So [William] I went up with him to the scaffold.
Expert Adam asked the guest if he had received the items as a “souvenir”, to which he replied: “Exactly that.”
‘He gave him everything and asked him [William] put your foot on it to make sure it didn’t move during the execution.
Looking at the late earl’s belongings, which included a hat, chamois gloves and a portrait attributed to Cornelius Johnson, Adam described the antiques as “powerful”.
He added: ‘It’s an incredible little archive of things. And the fact that you can marry your ancestor to these things makes it particularly powerful.
And the actual execution took place less than 20 miles from here, in Bolton. “So it’s a really powerful local story involving local men.”
An Antiques Roadshow guest (pictured) was left shocked after discovering his gruesome family heirloom was worth a five-figure sum.
The collection of objects from the execution of the 7th Earl of Derby was inherited by this man through his ancestor William Prescott (pictured).
Without full attribution to artist Cornelius Johnson, antiquities expert Adam estimated that the portrait of the guest’s ancestor, William Prescott, was worth between £10,000 and £15,000.
The smaller portrait was valued at slightly less, bringing an expected value of between £2,000 and £3,000.
The collection of spooky items up for auction could fetch between £18,000 and £22,000, according to Adam.
Although the guest was apparently impressed by the estimated value of his family heirloom, he was adamant about not putting the collection up for sale.
He said, “I think it would be a travesty to sell them,” and the antiques expert wholeheartedly agreed.
Antiquities expert Adam (right) described the late earl’s belongings, which included a hat, chamois gloves and a portrait attributed to Cornelius Johnson, as “powerful”.