An Antiques Roadshow expert was gobsmacked upon hearing what a guest’s dad had suggested for a diamond brooch worth a fortune.
Jewellery expert Joanna Hardy couldn’t hide her excitement at Castle Howard, York, as she encountered a brooch that immediately impressed her on the BBC daytime show.
“I can tell you it’s not often that I would like people to read my mind, I can assure you,” Hardy enthused.
“But when you showed this to me, I really wished you could see what I was seeing in my mind.”
The owner chuckled: “I wanted to know what was going on in your mind!”, while Hardy elaborated: “Well this jewel just catapulted me back in time in 1820 when I am watching a ball in the beautiful house, in the long gallery here at Castle Howard.
“This absolutely represents that period. So this was part of a jewel that would have been worn, this would have been a pair of earrings and it would have had a top to it as well.
“I mean, can you imagine? Stunning. But not just earrings, there would have been a devant de corsage as well, worn in front. Bedecked with diamonds too, can you imagine?”
“And in candlelight! You’re starting to imagine now.”
When questioned on how the brooch came to be hers, the owner replied: “Well it arrived one day through the post?”
Clearly puzzled, the expert asked: “What?”, with the guest stating: “Recorded delivery, I’ll give it that.”
Hardy repeated: “Recorded delivery? When?”
She shared that it was an unexpected Christmas gift from her father: “My father very kindly sent it to me and I wasn’t expecting it so it was rather a surprise.
“I’d never seen it before and it’s obviously been in our family for a long, long time but I think it’s been hidden away in a safe somewhere.
“My father sent a lovely letter with it, saying that he wanted it to be worn but if I wanted to change it in some way then feel free to break it down.”
This declaration left Hardy visibly astonished, hands on head and mouth agape, clearly taken aback by the notion of altering such a piece.
Undeterred, the guest revealed: “So I was intrigued but I also knew nothing about it except that it was given to my great-grandmother and then to my grandmother.”
Hardy then jumped at the opportunity to examine the piece more closely, and upon inspection exclaimed: “I have turned it over, because it has been made into a brooch.
“The craftsmanship at the back of this is absolutely faultless. This was all hand done.”
“And it is rather like a crazy paving in fact, because they’ve used stones that just fill the space up really, rather than make it all ordered, which gives it a lot of character.
“And these cushioned shaped diamonds are so magical in their character. The centre stone is just over 3-and-a-half carats. It is a beautiful jewel.
“It’s more than just its intrinsic worth, it is part of an era that’s gone.”
Wrapping up her valuation, Hardy delivered breathtaking news: “At auction, even though it’s not in its entirety as a pair of earrings but it is still stunning, and I would say you’re looking at a region of about £30,000 to £40,000.”
This enormous sum elicited a collective gasp from the crowd, with the owner reacting with laughter and initially speechless.
“Wonderful. That’s – I’m rarely speechless,” the owner finally managed to declare.
Hardy playfully suggested,: “I think you should put it on and go and have a little dance in the long gallery!” to which the owner happily concurred.
Expressing her appreciation for Hardy’s expertise, she warmly exclaimed, “How wonderful. Thank you so much!”
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
