Tiffany & Co. Pendant Watch Necklace, ca. 1910
GUEST: This piece I just inherited from my mother-in-law, who passed away earlier this year at 99, and she inherited the piece from her aunt and uncle, Bertha and Fred Fisher, who you may know have Fisher Auto Body, and that became part of GM. Our guess is, but we don't know, is that it could have come from New York or Detroit, where they spent a lot of time. But we do know that it's a very special piece, and I haven't only worn it except one time because it's a very fancy necklace.
APPRAISER: Right, well it is a beautiful piece.
GUEST: Thank you.
APRAISER: It's a very special necklace. It's a pendant necklace, it is from the Edwardian period.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: Which came about around the early 1900s. I would date this piece to 1910.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And this period was known for elegance, very fashionable time for ladies, and this is the quintessential piece of jewelry from that period.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: So it's made by Tiffany.
GUEST: We saw that, yes.
APPRAISER: Someone that everyone knows.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: They started in the 1840s, and New York jewelry house…
GUEST Right.
APPRAISER: …very, very fine firm. They made such exquisite jewelry. You have this beautiful delicate chain of collet set old European-cut diamonds.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And then with these pretty marquise-shaped links alternating. So the chain itself you've got about seven karats of diamonds approximately.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: Then you taper down to this beautiful old emerald-cut stone.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And it weighs approximately two-and-a-half karats. This is a very, very clean stone and a very, very white stone.
GUEST: Great.
APPRAISER: So you have a very, very high color…
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: …high clarity stone. And then you drop down to this beautiful pendant watch.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: The filigree work, and the diamond setting is beautifully done. Then you see this gorgeous engraving all along the border.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: If you turn it over, you have a watch.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: By Tiffany. Which also can be detached.
GUEST: Yes, I saw that. And they can wear it as a pendant…
APPRAISER: Correct.
GUEST: …or a pin, or something like that.
APPRAISER: Do you have any idea of the value of this piece?
GUEST: We have no idea, we've never had it appraised. So… the fact that we had just inherited it, this is hopefully will be a good surprise.
APPRAISER: Okay, well I will tell you that you're seeing less and less of this material in the marketplace.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: It's very sought after, and at auction, the estimate would be $40,000 to $60,000.
GUEST: (chuckles) That's... unbelievable and a surprise.
APPRAISER: So it's really, a really beautiful piece of jewelry.
GUEST: I am so grateful. Thank you for giving us this very valuable information.
APPRAISER: For insurance purposes, I would estimate the value at approximately $120,000.
GUEST: Wow. That makes my heart skip a beat. (chuckling) Oh, my gosh. Thank you, unbelievable.
$40,000 Auction
$120,000 Insurance
$40,000 Auction
$120,000 Insurance
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Understanding Our Appraisals
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
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."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
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