Antiques Roadshow

GUEST: I brought this diamond and sapphire ring that belonged probably to my husband's grandmother, probably from the early 1900s.

But I really don't have much history about it.

I just think it's a really beautiful ring.

And I've usually in the past only worn it, like, if I was getting really dressed up.

APPRAISER: Right.

GUEST: Going to an occasion.

But as I put it on to come up here, I thought, I could wear this every day, you know?

I mean, maybe not to yoga.

APPRAISER: (laughs) GUEST: But, you know, I could wear it just as a everyday ring.

APPRAISER: Well, jewelry is meant to be worn.

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER: And this is about as pretty of a sapphire and diamond ring as you can get.

You're right on the timeline.

I would date it to the early part of the 20th century.

GUEST: Uh-huh.

APPRAISER: Probably around about 1925.

The center stone here is a sapphire.

GUEST: Uh-huh.

APPRAISER: It's about 3.65 carats, and it's flanked by two antique-cut pear-shaped diamonds.

GUEST: Oh!

APPRAISER: Which are each about 75 points.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: And then in the gallery of the stone, you have this beautiful, intricate millegraining and filigree work all set with old-European-cut diamonds, which are about 0.65 carats altogether.

GUEST: Uh-huh.

APPRAISER: Now, what makes the ring really special, for two reasons here...

GUEST: Yes.

APPRAISER: ...is one, that it's signed on the interior of the hoop-- the back part of the mark is kind of worn away-- Tiffany.

GUEST: Oh, okay, so it is Tiffany.

APPRAISER: So it's... Tiffany and Company.

GUEST: Uh-huh.

APPRAISER: Tiffany and Company was making the best of the best at this time, and they were using the best of the best materials.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: So that sets off all my alarm bells to look at the colored stone.

GUEST: Yes.

APPRAISER: Which is a beautiful sapphire.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: It is a bit abraded.

This would benefit from being repolished, potentially even recut, but it's a gorgeous color.

It's the kind of color that we like to see in sapphires.

GUEST: Yeah?

APPRAISER: It's like a royal blue.

What's important with colored stones is to find out where they were mined, what their origin is.

GUEST: Oh, okay.

APPRAISER: I'm going out on a limb.

GUEST: Uh-huh.

APPRAISER: And my gut tells me that it might have been mined in Burma.

GUEST: Oh, wow.

APPRAISER: Which was known to produce some of the most beautiful and desirable valuable sapphires.

GUEST: Uh-huh.

APPRAISER: You can only have that information made certain... (chuckles) ...by a certification from a laboratory.

GUEST: Oh, yeah.

APPRAISER: I think it would be important to have that done.

And then they would also tell us if the stone has been treated at all.

Without knowing exactly what it is, but assuming that it's probably Burma...

GUEST: Uh-huh.

APPRAISER: ...conservatively at auction, this ring is in the neighborhood of $30,000 to $50,000.

GUEST: Oh, my goodness, wow.

APPRAISER: So you absolutely...

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: ...want to get, have that extra homework done.

GUEST: Right.

Yeah.

APPRAISER: And probably want to have it insured if you're going to wear it, because the insurance could be upwards of $100,000.

GUEST: Oh, my goodness, okay!