I was handed down a necklace from my mom when she died but was dumbfounded when Antiques Roadshow said it’s worth $12k

A DAUGHTER had inherited one of her mother's favorite jewelry pieces when she died, which turned out to be worth thousands.

She brought the necklace to Antiques Roadshow and was shocked to find out its $12,000 price tag.

In an episode of Antiques Roadshow in 2017, a woman was pleasantly surprised with the appraisal of her mother's vintage necklace.

The piece featured a gold chain and a large jewel-adorned brooch.

She shared that it was one of her mother's favorite pieces of jewelry and that it was handed down to her when her mother died.

"I love it and I wore it until I had too many chins and couldn't wear it anymore," said the daughter.

She said it was now up for grabs among her grandchildren or whoever she felt it should be passed on to next.

DOWN TO THE DETAILS

The necklace owner shared with Antiques Roadshow jewelry expert Rosalie Sayyah that the necklace was created by Van Cleef & Arpels but she was unsure about the brooch's maker because it lacked a signature.

Sayyah confirmed the necklace was made by Van Cleef & Arpels, a French luxury jewelry company founded in Paris in 1896.

She noted the designer has locations around the world and is world-renowned.

The jewelry expert indicated that the necklace was not from Paris, but New York and was created in the 1940s.

Sayyah shared that in the 1940s, Van Cleef & Arpels had several innovations in its jewelry, such as using thinner gold to create heavy-looking yet lightweight pieces.

The expert also noted the necklace was referred to as a snake chain, gas pipe, or mouse tail.

"It has flexibility and it's very comfortable to wear," she said, adding that the chain had an innovative clasp with a lock on the back of it where the signature could be found.

Sayyah shared that although the brooch was not signed, it was also made by Van Cleef & Arpels.

The necklace and brooch were made with 14-karat yellow gold, and the brooch featured rows of rubies and diamonds.

The expert also pointed out a "cool feature" of the brooch, saying the double prong or "fur clip" feature permitted the brooch to be removed from the necklace.

Valuable Items

People have unkowingly stumbled upon valauble items, later shocked to realize their true value.

Here are several examples of items worth more than expected:

• A grandmother's baseball bat worth $30,000
• A hand-me-down ring worth $595,000
• An antique lighter worth $4,000
• A model bridge worth $25,000

"It's easily worn as a brooch or as a necklace," said Sayyah.

The jewelry expert estimated the necklace would sell for around $8,000 to $12,000.

"Okay... oh!" responded the daughter, dumbfounded at the evaluation.

Others were similarly shocked at the high appraisal of their items on Antiques Roadshow.

One woman spotted a vintage jacket at an estate sale for just $40 – it turned out to belong to a TV legend and was worth $15,000.

Plus, a daughter held onto an old gift from her dad for decades – she was lost for words when an expert said it was worth $50,000.