Jade Pendant & Compact

Appraised on: August 13, 2005

Appraised in: Los Angeles, California

Appraised by: Berj Zavian

Category: Jewelry

Episode Info: Roadshow Remembers (#1017)
Los Angeles (#1009)

Originally Aired: March 27, 2006

IMAGE: 1 of 3  

Appraisal Video: (2:40)

GUEST: I brought my grandmother's necklace. She brought it from China. She came to the U.S. in 1923. And then this I bought on an online auction about four years ago.

APPRAISER: Well, you know about this particular piece. It's high-carat gold.

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER: It's like 22-, 23-carat gold.

GUEST: Uh-huh.

APPRAISER: And the carving of the jade in this heart is jadeite. It's a little mottled, but it's a new piece. It's not old. When I say old, I mean it has to be 100 years old before it's old.

GUEST: Yes.

APPRAISER: Now, you brought me another piece here.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: And do you ever use this?

GUEST: No, I have not.

APPRAISER: You know it's a compact?

GUEST: Yes, I do.

APPRAISER: It's a two-stage compact. There's two compartments with a mirror. The interesting part about the whole compact is that it's in mint condition.

GUEST: Oh.

APPRAISER: Except for two little spots.

GUEST: Uh-huh.

APPRAISER: The two pieces of jade are broken.

GUEST: Oh, are they?

APPRAISER: Yeah. This one has a slight crack in it, and the top over here is missing.

GUEST: Oh.

APPRAISER: See? They were representative Han Dynasty coins. The double carving on both sides, and all Han Dynasty coins had holes in the middle. Now, those were good-luck jade for that particular period of time.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: Those two jades can be changed, can be replaced. You don't have to bother, because they're in very good color.

GUEST: Yes.

APPRAISER: They're a little light green, but that's the period it was done. Your piece is 1905, 1910. What I like about this compact is the whole gold case inside is made from green gold, and that's very hard to do and very rare.

GUEST: Really?

APPRAISER: The gentleman who made this, which is not marked, knew what he was doing, because enamel adheres to green gold much better than yellow gold, and this is all black enamel.

GUEST: Oh.

APPRAISER: And even on the back. Your chain is platinum. I don't think it really belongs on this piece, but it's a magnificent two-tone platinum chain. The serpent-- it's not a dragon. It's good luck. And this is platinum. Now, how much did you pay for this?

GUEST: $1,200.

APPRAISER: Well, your jadeite piece over here at auction would bring anywhere from $1,000 to $1,200 at auction.

GUEST: Oh, okay.

APPRAISER: Your compact, at auction, could easily go anywhere from $12,000 to $15,000.

GUEST: (gasps) No kidding! (laughs) Oh, my God, I don't believe it. Oh, my God, really? Twelve... I don't believe it-- my God.

APPRAISER: Enjoy it.

GUEST: Thank you.