GUEST: Well, this ring belonged in our family several generations back, and it was willed to me by my aunt.

APPRAISER: Well, as you can see, it's a beautiful, beautiful design. It's Art Deco, 1925, approximately. And they've designed it in an octagonal format to mirror the shape of the stone in the center. Unfortunately, while the diamonds around are natural, the center stone is synthetic. And the ring is worth about $4,000 to $5,000.

GUEST: Oh my.

APPRAISER: Does that surprise you?

GUEST: Well, that... I thought it was worth something and I keep it mostly in the safety deposit box.

APPRAISER: Well, one would have hoped if it were an eight-carat natural sapphire, it could have been worth ten or 20 times that. But it's synthetic, which means it has the same chemical and physical and optical properties of a natural stone, but is man-made.

GUEST: Well, I'm delighted to have it anyway.