Belle Epoque Diamond Brooch, ca. 1915
Appraised Value:
$7,000 - $9,000
IMAGE: 1 of 1
Appraisal Video: (2:14)
Appraisal Transcript:
GUEST: They originally belonged to my great-grandmother who came to Tucson in 1878. And it's been passed down, through each daughter, until it got to me, for four generations.
APPRAISER: Well, I see you brought a photograph of her in, and right here we can see the pendant that we'll be talking about right on her neck. It's from about 1915.
GUEST: Oh, is it?
APPRAISER: So, she got it a little later.
GUEST: Oh, I thought it was earlier than that.
APPRAISER: I think that it was probably made in New York.
GUEST: Oh, really?
APPRAISER: Yes.
GUEST: He met her, and they were married, in New York.
APPRAISER: The fine platinum work-- they were doing a lot of this in New York City around the turn of the century.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: There were a lot of people that were doing this fine mill graining, which we see around the diamonds here, the principal stone.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: And this sort of wreath or garland motif was very popular around that time period. And then we have this tiny little drop here-- this pear-shaped drop, which suspends on the bottom as well. And it's quite pretty. I did a diamond breakdown on it.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: The largest stone is almost a carat size. And then they sort of graduate down from there.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: But a total weight of five carats.
GUEST: Oh, I didn't know that.
APPRAISER: Yeah. The Belle Epoque style is one of those styles that is becoming more and more sought after, and the platinum work is really unrivaled. This just very delicate knife-edged bars here as well.
GUEST: Right. What is Belle Epoque?
APPRAISER: It's a style that was done in the early 1900s. This is circa 1915, and it just means a pretty sort of delicate...
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: Edwardian style was another time period
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: that was very similar to that as well. But it had to have been made in England in order to be Edwardian.
GUEST: I see.
APPRAISER: So, we call it Belle Epoque if it's American.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And at auction, I would say the estimate would be anywhere between $7,000 and $9,000.
GUEST: Oh, my gosh, really?
APPRAISER: Yes, definitely.
GUEST: Oh, that's wonderful.
APPRAISER: Yeah, I'm glad you're happy with that.
GUEST: Oh, I'm actually, I'm very happy with that. I had no idea what it was worth.
APPRAISER: Yeah, it's definitely worth all of that.
GUEST: Wow. Well, thank you very much.
APPRAISER: You're welcome. It's my pleasure.
GUEST: I appreciate it.
