20 August 2023 , 20:23
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An Antiques Roadshow guest admitted she had "tears in her eyes" after being told the value of her beloved diamond brooch, which the expert revealed originated in the Art Deco period of the 1930s.
Expert Susan Rumfitt began: "This is a magnificent brooch. I hope you wear it every day," to which the owner confirmed she wore it in "evening" if she's "going out".
Speaking about how she came to own the piece, the guest said: "It's just come down to the family from my grandmother," before Susan revealed its provenance: "The brooch dates from the 1930s which is the height of the Art Deco period, which really and truly was about having a great time as far as fashion jewels, partying was concerned. So I can imagine your grandmother really having a wonderful time putting this brooch on.. It's got a sort of sense of theatre about it, doesn't it? It sort of plays away on its own with these beautiful diamonds in it and everything."
"When we get to the 1930s the style of jewellery it was very similar to the 20s in regards to being bold and impressive as we're seeing here, but we've moved away from colour and also concentrating on diamonds as well, which is quite extraordinary considering that 1929 we had the Wall Street crash and the depression," she continued.
The Art Deco brooch dated back to the 1930s (BBC)"Well, one of the greatest designers who was behind the love of diamonds was Chanel, of course, and she teamed up with DeBeers to promote the diamond industry. And they basically were saying that diamonds are portable, you can show the greatest of worth in the smallest volumes, this is by no means a small piece of jewellery but it's portable so it's no wonder so many people were turning to diamond jewellery if the likes of Chanel was saying this is the thing that you should do."
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The expert explained the diamonds were a "modern brilliant cut" before noting the brooch was "unusual" as it was one brooch rather than two separate clips connected together, as was the style of the time.
"It's pretty stunning, isn't it? It does make a statement set in white gold it's got a yellow gold back to it. That white gold at the top to again help to really reflect those diamonds. It's absolutely wonderful. Have you ever thought how many carats are in the weight of the diamonds?" Susan asked.
The guest was stunned with the brooch's true value (BBC)The guest, who guessed three, was stunned to discover the weight was 14 carats. "Oh my goodness," she remarked before the expert revealed its value was £20,000.
"Oh my goodness," the guest repeated. "That's taken my breath away. Oh crumbs, brings tears to my eyes." The owner then confirmed she would still wear the item.
"A really big surprise, I'm still quaking at the moment," she later added before the expert remarked: "It's been wonderful. Fantastic to find it and to make somebody's day as well when they have no idea that it was going to be worth as much as it was just stunning, fantastic."