Tiffany Favrile Scarab Beetle Necklace, ca. 1915

Appraised on: June 18, 2011

Appraised in: El Paso, Texas

Appraised by: Rosalie Sayyah

Category: Jewelry

Episode Info: El Paso, Hour 3 (#1612)

Originally Aired: April 9, 2012

IMAGE: 1 of 1  

Appraisal Video: (1:46)

GUEST: As a young person, I was given an old scarab, an Egyptian scarab, and so I'd always been fascinated with those, and so about 15, 20 years ago I went to an antique show and I saw this and I thought... (gasps) It reminded me of a piece of jewelry my mother had that had Brazilian butterfly wings, and I thought, "Oh, that's the color." And then I got to looking and I thought, "I think this is Tiffany." And so I bought it.

APPRAISER: And what did you pay for it?

GUEST: It's been a long time, but I think around $400.

APPRAISER: Around $400. And it was at a local antique show, something like that?

GUEST: Yes, yes, here in town.

APPRAISER: Well, let's talk about the scarabs.

GUEST: All right.

APPRAISER: A scarab is a beetle.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: And it was an Egyptian deity. They considered it a symbol of rebirth...

GUEST: Aha.

APPRAISER: ...regeneration and life. Now, enter Tiffany. He made these beetles. This necklace is definitely Tiffany. It's Favrile glass. The chain is 18-karat. It is in the style of the 19-teens, around 1915. It has little short links and long links. The Tiffany & Co. mark is on the bottom of the central pendant. It is the legitimate and correct mark for the piece. It's a beautiful piece. And, at a good retail store, this piece would sell for $8,000 to $10,000.

GUEST: (gasps) Gee. Did all right.

APPRAISER: I'd say so.

GUEST: Oh, my goodness.