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Coral & Diamond Ring, ca. 1890

Value (2016) | $2,000 Auction – $3,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
I ended up bringing my ring that was my grandmother's that I got in 1999. And it just pretty much stays in my jewelry box most of the time. And she got it from her sister, whose husband was an estate attorney in Chicago. So they think that's where it came from. That's all I know about it.

APPRAISER:
The first thing that you notice right away is this material here of the carved face. So that's made out of coral. And what we know is that this ring is Victorian.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
In the Victorian period, which spans the time period from about 1837 to 1901, you see a big use of coral in jewelry. But especially this very high, deep relief. You might see a shell cameo that's much lower.

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
The ring is made out of 18-karat gold. That's why it has this nice, rich color in the gold.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
18-karat gold is about 75% pure gold with the other alloys. In the Victorian period in 1840, Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria a snake and emerald ring. Whatever she did, whatever she wore, all the women of the time were watching and followed suit, fashion-wise. So she was a very big influence on fashion. And here you have a ring right out of that period, although I think this ring was probably made in France. There's no hallmarks inside.

GUEST:
No.

APPRAISER:
There's nothing to go by. Over here you see some white metal.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
That's platinum.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
Very early use of platinum. And there's two little cabochon emerald eyes.

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
And then you have some tiny accents of European-cut diamonds. The diamonds, in total, there's about a quarter of a carat.

GUEST:
I was just curious as to if it was costume jewelry or not because she wore a lot of costume jewelry.

APPRAISER:
Oh, did she, yeah?

GUEST:
Yeah.

APPRAISER:
Well, it's most definitely not costume jewelry. At auction, I would say that this ring would be in there for $2,000 to $3,000.

GUEST:
Wow. So most definitely not costume jewelry.

APPRAISER:
No. (chuckling)

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Kevin Zavian
Jewelry, Watches
Doyle New York
New York, NY
Appraised value (2016)
$2,000 Auction – $3,000 Auction
Featured In
Indianapolis, Hour 1 (#2104)
Event
Indianapolis, IN (July 09, 2016)
Category
Jewelry
Period
Victorian
Form
Jewelry , Ring
Material
Coral , Diamond , Gold

Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.

Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."

Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.

Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.

Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.

Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.

Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.

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