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Appraisal Update | Cut Glass Centerpiece Base, ca. 1885

Appraisal Update | Cut Glass Centerpiece Base, ca. 1885

Extraordinary Finds | Hear More from Lowry About the Auction!

Extraordinary Finds | Hear More from Lowry About the Auction!

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Diamond & Emerald Conversion Ring, ca. 1920

Value (2019) | $6,000 Auction – $8,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
My great-great-aunt was a traveling companion to a very wealthy woman, Charlotte Cardeza. They traveled the world for many, many years, and one of their voyages was on the Titanic. Charlotte, my great-great-aunt Annie, and Charlotte's son Tom were dining when they got the call that the ship was sinking. And they did survive. They were on lifeboat number 19, and what you see there was a cufflink that Tom wore. After they were rescued, he had the cufflinks made into two rings, one for his mama and one for himself. Later, he decided that he really didn't need this ring, and he would give it to my great-aunt, who supposedly, according to family lore, offered to give up a seat on the lifeboat for Tom. Obviously, they all did survive, so they all got on the lifeboat. And it's been in the family ever since.

APPRAISER:
I think it's a really successful example of a conversion from a cufflink to a ring. This piece really spoke to me because of the quality of the stones. We have a beautiful emerald-cut emerald in the center. Based on the color and quality of the emerald, my guess is that the origin is Colombian. The top part of the ring, which was originally the cufflink...

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
...was made in 1910, somewhere in that period. Mm-hmm. Which makes sense, because we know that Tom was wearing these cufflinks in 1912. The diamonds that frame the emerald are transitional-cut diamonds, between old European cut and old mine cut. These transitional-cut diamonds are also typical of that period. The band, constructed of yellow gold and platinum, was made later, in the late teens, early '20s.

GUEST:
Oh, okay.

APPRAISER:
Where was Tom living, do you know?

GUEST:
Germantown, Pennsylvania.

APPRAISER:
That makes sense.

GUEST:
Right out of Philadelphia.

APPRAISER:
My guess is that this conversion was done right in Philadelphia.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
Unfortunately, it's not signed.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
So we don't know exactly who made it.

GUEST:
Who, okay.

APPRAISER:
I love the inscription. So Tom had the jeweler inscribe on the side, "Saved from the Titanic," with the date, April 15, 1912. As well as, "Tom and Mama." This pierced band is exquisite craftsmanship. It is so beautiful, it is so well-done, and it's really unlike anything I have ever seen.

GUEST:
Oh, good.

APPRAISER:
Especially when paired with such a fine Art Deco cufflink. At auction today, I would expect it to bring somewhere in the $6,000 to $8,000 range.

GUEST:
Okay, wow, all right.

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Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Lucy Grogan Edwards
Jewelry, Paintings & Drawings
Grogan & Co.
Boston, MA
Appraised value (2019)
$6,000 Auction – $8,000 Auction
Featured In
Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, Hour 2 (#2402)
Event
Winterthur, DE (June 18, 2019)
Category
Jewelry
Period
1910s
Form
Ring
Material
Diamonds , Emerald , Gold , Platinum

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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