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Tiffany & Co. Sapphire & Diamond Ring, ca. 1913

Value (2017) | $15,000 Auction – $100,000 Insurance
Watch  

GUEST:
Well, I have a ring that I had inherited from my grandmother. And other than I know it's diamonds and a sapphire, I don't know much about it. I know that it's inscribed, Mm-hmm. "T.J.O.D. to A.L.O.D., December, or D-E-C, 25, 1913."

APPRAISER:
It's a nice Christmas gift.

GUEST:
When I asked my father what my grandfather did-- and it was actually my maternal grandfather-- he said, "Oh, he was retired." And I said, "Retired from what?"

APPRAISER:
(laughs)

GUEST:
He said, "He was just retired."

APPRAISER:
Okay.

GUEST:
He'd never had to work.

APPRAISER:
Well, in that case, they must have been of some means.

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
The ring is a sapphire and diamond three-stone ring. It is signed by Tiffany and Company. Looking at the stones, we can do weights by formula. Obviously, we can't unmount the stones, so by formula, that center sapphire is probably about three-and-a-half carats, and each one of those side diamonds is about one-and-a-half carats. The side diamonds are beautiful. They're very high-color stones, they're clean. They're what we would call Old European cut diamonds, very typical of what you would see in 1913. And you can also see the sapphire. It's a nice old cut, also from the period.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
What makes this ring really special, in my opinion, is that sapphire. In this period, Tiffany would've only used the highest-quality stones. Country of origin is very important. I've showed my colleagues at the jewelry table, and we feel that there is a good chance that this might be a sapphire from Burma. Also, in this period, we would not expect any treatments. It hasn't been heated, so it came out of the ground like that, and that is very unusual. In the Tiffany mounting, with the three-stone setting, it's a very desirable ring. 1913, it's nice to think that it could've been here at Rosecliff at a party one day.

GUEST:
That's right.

APPRAISER:
I think, at auction, if we sent the stone to a lab and could determine that it was a Burma sapphire with no heat, you might be looking at a value of $25,000 to $35,000 at auction. GUEST (laughs): Oh, wow! Oh, my gosh.

APPRAISER:
Now, if you walked into Tiffany's and had to replace this ring, I don't think you could replace it for under $100,000. It's a really nice ring.

GUEST:
Whoo! Oh, my gosh. Thanks, Granddad! You made my day!

APPRAISER:
Thank you, I'm glad we did. If this were not a Burma sapphire, I still think you would probably be looking in the $15,000 to $20,000 ballpark. The diamonds are a significant size.

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Appraisal Details

Appraiser
John Colasacco
Jewelry, Silver, Watches
Skinner, Inc.
Boston, MA
Appraised value (2017)
$15,000 Auction – $100,000 Insurance
Featured In
Newport, Hour 3 (#2218)
RECUT: Newport, Part 5 (#R0107)
Event
Newport, RI (September 18, 2017)
Category
Jewelry
Period
1910s , 20th Century
Form
Jewelry , Ring
Material
Diamond , Sapphire

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.

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