Art Deco Diamond Pendant Brooch
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GUEST:
We got it…oh, about 40 years ago on 47th Street in Manhattan.
APPRAISER:
It's an Art Deco brooch, I would say about 1920, and it's very typical of the period because it has this lovely floral work at the top, but it also has the geometric pattern at the bottom, which is a very prominent theme in the Deco jewelry. But it also has a very lovely, approximately three-carat pear-shaped old diamond at the bottom. You also have black onyx, which, in Deco jewelry, you have black and white, which was also another common theme. So this is a great brooch because you have so many Art Deco ideas here. You have the geometric, you have floral, but you also have the black versus the white diamonds as well. And then at the top, you have enamel, which is another great thing. Now, the piece is not signed, but it's numbered. And if you look on the side of the piece right here, you'll see numbers. So it was obviously a famous maker of some sort. I don't know who it was, but it was someone that took the time to number the piece. Another interesting thing about your brooch is the fact that it's a pendant brooch, but it's also articulated, so it moves. Do you have any idea what your brooch is worth?
GUEST:
No, I don't, I really have no idea. I've had it appraised, but I have no recollection of the appraisal value and… I don't remember what we paid for it. We bought it so many years ago.
APPRAISER:
Well, I'll tell you, there are a lot of Art Deco jewelry collectors that would be interested in this piece, and at auction, I would give you an estimate of $18,000 to $22,000.
GUEST:
Oh, that sounds very interesting.
APPRAISER:
Great buy.
GUEST:
But I'm not... but I'm not at all interested in selling it.
APPRAISER:
That's okay, but thank you for showing me such a beautiful piece.
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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."
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