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Watch | Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 3

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Close Up | Poet Rainer Maria Rilke's Quote

Close Up | Poet Rainer Maria Rilke's Quote

Owner Interview | Korean Yayoi Stone Dagger, ca. 750 BC

Owner Interview | Korean Yayoi Stone Dagger, ca. 750 BC

Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 3

Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 3

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Victorian Gold Necklace & Earrings, ca. 1870

Value (2017) | $6,000 Retail – $8,000 Retail
Watch  

GUEST:
I'm not really quite sure what I brought in. My mother went to visit her sister, Aloise, and Aloise was Mrs. William F. Buckley, Sr. So William Buckley, the statesman, whatever, this was his mother's jewelry, originally. And they traveled around quite a lot, and so I don't know where she picked it up, but she didn't want it anymore, so my mother took it. There are five girls in my family, and so she brought it back, thought one of us would like it, and the others were, like, "Ooh, no, it's not, no." I was, like, "Oh, I kind of like that." It's a little on the gaudy side, but I liked it. So I took it, and I hope they'll be sorry that they didn't now.

APPRAISER:
Well, they probably will be after this. Have you ever had the piece appraised?

GUEST:
I did. Maybe 20 years ago. The jeweler said it was acid-etched gold and he thought it was maybe $3,000 or $4,000.

APPRAISER:
Okay. Let me tell you what he means by that. If you look at the patina on each of these little square plaques, they use acid to get that kind of frosting on the plaques, so that's what, when we refer as "acid-etched," that's what we're talking about in the jewelry business. I believe this is a Victorian necklace and earrings, and I think it's probably from about 1870.

GUEST:
Really!

APPRAISER:
This necklace had a pendant on it, and if you flip this square up you can see the pendant loop. So you could wear it just as it is or add another little element to it. Your chain, it's an old woven chain, so that's original to the piece, as well. And then I love these little balls. But something I find fascinating about this piece is, usually they are broken apart. In a family situation like yours, someone goes, "Well, why don't we make earrings out of these?" Or make a pair of earrings and a pendant for someone, because you certainly have enough plaques to do that.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
So it's very hard to find these pieces intact. I noticed there are no markings on the necklace, so it could be American, but just the same, it could be from Europe. You also have a pair of earrings. Not necessarily that they went with this style, but again, you have a bit of wire work here, you see that around the starburst?

GUEST:
Yeah.

APPRAISER:
And the starburst is a very common element in Victorian jewelry. And then, they're, again, repeating these balls. It's a beautiful ten-karat Victorian necklace and earrings. And I would say if you went to buy this in a retail store today, you would be looking between $6,000 and $8,000.

GUEST:
Oh, wow! Nice! Very nice!

APPRAISER:
Do you wear it?

GUEST:
I do wear it, I do wear it.

APPRAISER:
I think it's gorgeous.

GUEST:
Well, thank you so much.

APPRAISER:
Thank you for bringing it.

GUEST:
I'm delighted to know that.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Lea Koonce Ogundiran
Jewelry
Perry's Fine Antique & Estate Jewelry
Charlotte, NC
Appraised value (2017)
$6,000 Retail – $8,000 Retail
Featured In
New Orleans, Hour 1 (#2204)
Event
New Orleans, LA (July 22, 2017)
Category
Jewelry
Period
19th Century , Victorian
Form
Earrings , Jewelry , Necklace , Pendant
Material
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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