I held onto great-grandma’s necklace & bracelet for years – Antiques Roadshow says tiny engraving makes them worth $30k

ONE woman was left speechless after being told that the engravings on a bracelet and necklace she had inherited made them worth a fortune.

The surprise came when the woman appeared on an episode of Antique Roadshow on Tuesday.

According to the California native, her great-grandmother was " a prominent" figure in the San Francisco Jewish community in the 1800s.

The woman told the appraiser, Michael Larsen that her relatives " were pretty wealthy people".

During her time on the show, the woman had brought what appeared to be a simple diamond bracelet as well as a pearl necklace with a diamond pendant.

Included in the pairing was also a diamond ring.

Larsen inquired: "Do you wear them?"

"I do," responded the woman.

"I wear the ring and I wear this," she said pointing at the necklace adding that she only dons the accessories when she goes out to black tie events.

According to Larsen, the jewelry was of an Art Deco design.

"This is textbook art deco," he said.

"This is very geometric and uniform. Platinum and diamonds with a little splash of color. We seem to have a few sapphires in here."

Larsen said that he believed that the sapphires were synthetic and said that they were created on the East Coast of the US.

According to the specialist, even though the gemstones were created by the same person, they were definitely "from the same era."

Larsen continues his analysis by stating that some of the gems in the bracelet have a European cut which, according to Larsen, weighs between 0.6 to 0.9 carats.

"Not quite a full carat, but a nice size," he states.

Antiques Roadshow best finds

Antiques Roadshow has helped people put a price on their treasures since 1979. Here are some of the most interesting finds

• A hand-me-down ring that had been in the family for generations was valued at $595,000
• A silver coin found on a farm is worth $30,000
• A Rolex that cost just $120 is now worth $45,000
• The portrait of a woman's mother at four years old and its frame was worth $32,000
• A book of hymns that was kept in a basement was worth $50,000
• A rare sculpture bought at a flea market in 1961 was worth $100,000
• An antique floor lamp from an estate sale was worth $15,000
• A mobile from the 1940s was worth a whopping $2 million
• A tablecloth drawn on by a baseball legend was worth $1,500
• A Picasso plate that hung above an oven was worth $15,000

Larsen shocked the woman by pronouncing that he expected the bracelet to go for $10,000 to $15,000 at an auction.

According to the appraiser, the ring — which is also Art Deco — bears an old European cut diamond and would fetch a whopping $12,000 to $18,000 at an auction.

Moving on to the necklace, Larsen states that the center diamond is an old cushion-cut diamond worth about three carats and estimated that it was worth $25,000 to $30,000.

"oh my goodness," the woman exhaled.

"Wow. Ok. I'm happy with that."

FAMILY TREASURES

This woman is not the only person to be astonished over how much a family heirloom is worth.

The U.S. Sun had previously reported that a Utah native's Hawaiian mission quilt was worth $10,000 despite the stains.

According to appraiser Kathy Kane, it was due to the rarity of Hawaiian blankets.

Kane stated that the first New England missionaries who went to the island in the 1820s taught the women how to make blankets.

But, due to the region's climate, quilts were not always needed.

Kane also added that most quilts feature a "bold graphic design" on a white or pastel background.