A guest on the popular Antiques Roadshow brought with her an amethyst necklace, a family heirloom, that supposedly belonged to a British socialite and mistress of King Edward VII.
If the guest was looking for a big payday, her hopes were quickly dashed when jewelry expert Sarah Churgin appraised the piece at only “between $3,000 and $4,000” after explaining the story behind it.
“If it had real provenance, we could double that price,” Churgin said.
Before Churgin demonstrated her expertise in precious jewelry, the guest was delighted to retell the story of how she acquired her lover Lillie Langtry’s amethyst necklace.
She said: ‘I have an amethyst necklace that belonged to my husband’s great-grandmother. I inherited it last year from my mother-in-law when she died.
The guest (pictured) posing with the amethyst necklace that supposedly belonged to socialite Lillie Langtry.
Close-up of amethyst necklace expert Sarah Churgin valued between $3,000 and $4,000
British actress Lily Langtry (1853-1929), the first society woman in professional theatre, as well as a theater director, racehorse owner and lover of the Prince of Wales, Edward VII.
The guest explained that her mother-in-law bought the necklace at an auction in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1929, the year Langtry died.
She said her mother-in-law “loved amethyst, because we have an amethyst letter opener, amethyst rings, she was very excited about amethyst, and from what I read, Lillie Langtry was too.”
Langtry was born in 1853 on Jersey, a small island dependent on the British crown off the coast of France. After her first marriage ended, she moved to London, where she met the future King Edward VII in 1877 at a dinner. At the time, he was still Prince of Wales and would not become king until 1901.
According to Churgin, Edward “maneuvered to sit next to (Langtry) and began a relationship that lasted many years.”
‘They were lovers for three years and then she became pregnant with another man’s child. Interestingly, Edward VII bought her a house in Bournemouth and actually paid for her (postpartum) confinement in Paris. “She ended up having properties in California and died in Monaco in 1929,” Churgin added.
The year 1929, when Langtry died, was the same year that the auction took place in Atlantic City where the guest’s mother-in-law took Langtry’s necklace from a man named Harold A Brand.
Churgin revealed that in 1949 Brand was “raised on multiple conspiracy charges, for fraud conspiracy.”
Churgin questions the authenticity of the amethyst mounting and the case in which it was presented
Langtry (pictured) died in Monaco in 1929, the same year the guest’s mother-in-law supposedly purchased one of her necklaces in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Edward VII (1841 – 1910) was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and later became King of Great Britain in 1901.
‘Oh my God!’ the guest exclaimed, with surprise written all over her face.
Churgin, beyond questioning the seller of the amethyst necklace, expressed skepticism about the value of the piece itself.
‘What we have here is a really pretty amethyst necklace from the art deco period. “King Edward gave his mistress and his wife jewelry from famous makers,” Churgin said. “This piece has no maker’s mark.”
Churgin added that the amethyst had been traced and that the box the necklace came in was of “quite commercial quality” for its time.
‘So the case is not sophisticated enough either!’ the guest joked.
Churgin concluded by saying: “If Edward VII had given it to Lillie Langtry, it would be one thing, but nonetheless a fair auction value would be $3,000 to $4,000.”