Carved Emerald Ring, ca. 1925

Appraised on: July 28, 2007

Appraised in: Louisville, Kentucky

Appraised by: Gloria Lieberman

Category: Jewelry

Episode Info: Louisville, Hour 1 (#1213)

Originally Aired: April 21, 2008

IMAGE: 1 of 1  

Appraisal Video: (3:18)

GUEST: It was a ring given to me by my late husband, and he inherited it from his mother in 1975, and I believe that she bought it when she lived in New York City. I've been told it's a carved emerald with rubies and diamonds on it. I don't know if the setting is white gold or platinum. I'm guessing the year was in the 1920s. I really don't know.

APPRAISER: Well, let's start with the size of the stone. Very difficult, of course, to measure it in the mounting, but I would say it's at least 20 to 25 carats.

GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: So it's big size.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: It's an emerald. And a lot of people that look at these stones say, "But it's not such a great color," or "It's not so clear." Well, that makes sense for a carved stone, because you wouldn't really carve a great stone.

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER: So most of these carved emeralds are not the best examples of the stone.

GUEST: I wondered, because it has a lot of occlusion to it, yeah.

APPRAISER: But that also makes it very difficult to carve, because if you have a lot of inclusions, it's pretty tricky.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: But the history of carvings-- that's what's interesting to me.

GUEST: Oh.

APPRAISER: This really dates back to the Mughal Empire when they carved stones. The Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal...

GUEST: Really!

APPRAISER:...he would have sacred text inscriptions put in, and carry them as talismans, so it has a long history. And when we look at the carving, it's floral. Little flowers.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: So I would say this carving was probably done in the '20s. Now, what happened in the '20s is, Cartier would remount a lot of these emeralds from the maharajahs into Art Deco jewelry.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: And so it became a fashion. So, many of these we always hope are Cartier. Now, I looked carefully.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: It's platinum.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: White gold. I could not find a signature.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: So that's disappointing, but the ring looks like it's been sized down, so perhaps it was signed at some point. Oh. I think it might be Cartier.

GUEST: Really?

APPRAISER: That would be my guess. Wouldn't that be something. It has two rubies, as you know.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: But on one of them, if you can turn it, has a pretty large chip out of it.

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER: So this ring was worn a lot. The stone-- the emerald itself-- actually has some chips, but it's such a fascinating combination, and it is Art Deco. You're absolutely right.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: But it doesn't have the signature.

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER: So, what happens when it doesn't have a signature? The value is not going to be up there.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: But I would say, because of the style, because of the size, because of the carving, and because it's so pretty and so interesting, that it is worth between $8,000 and $10,000.

GUEST: Oh.

APPRAISER: Even in this condition. If it were signed Cartier or Tiffany...

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: ...the price would be $30,000 to $50,000.

GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: Right. So, I'm going to give you a task. You think that it might have been purchased at Tiffany.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: Try to find the original bill...

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER:...because then, you would have something really, really valuable.

GUEST: Right, if I could find that receipt.

APPRAISER: That's it-- get that receipt.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: Thanks for coming today.

GUEST: Well, thank you so much.

APPRAISER: You're welcome.