Antiques Roadshow guests were amazed to discover their ballerina brooch was worth a five-figure sum.
In an earlier episode, jewellery specialist Joanna Hardy was captivated by the exquisite piece, speculating it could be the creation of renowned French jewellers Van Cleef & Arpels, though she couldn’t verify its origins, reports Edinburgh Live.
In a clip from the original evaluation, Joanna shared her amazement: “It can’t be ‘true’, is it ‘true’? This is made with turquoise, rubies, 18 carat gold and diamonds. It’s a fabulous jewel.
“It has all the properties, all the wonderful skills of a company called Van Cleef And Arpels.
“They made ballerina brooches from the 1940s but not that many.
“I cannot find the signature of Van Cleef and Arpels. I want to find one, I can assure you.
“If it is right, it is tens and tens of thousands of pounds.”
The daughter responded with a quiet “Gosh,” while her mother remained doubtful, saying, “can’t be”.
After filming, Joanna contacted a Parisian archivist and took the brooch for a detailed examination.
Later, she met with the owners again to learn more about the brooch’s history, saying: “This lovely ballerina has been on quite a journey since I last saw you.
“As you know, I went to Paris with this tucked in my handbag. I met Catherine Cariou who was the former heritage director for Van Cleef and Arpels for 20 years.
“She is the woman that knows nearly everything and I sort of leant forward and she said: ‘It’s better than the image you sent me.’ That’s a good start.
“Then she picked it up and she turned it around and she looked with her eye glass and she just kept looking.
“She said to me: ‘It’s the right weight, it’s the right size, it’s the right quality’ and she said there was a workshop in Cannes called Lucien Billie.
“Lucien Billie was the workshop that made these turquoise ballerina brooches for Van Cleef.
“And so she said: ‘this was made by Lucien Billie.”
Joanna went on to explain that those at the workshop were sometimes permitted to create pieces for “special occasions,” as long as they were not sold commercially.
As a result, Lucien Billie likely created this specific brooch as a meaningful gift for “either his wife or his daughter, for a wedding or some other special occasion”.
The owner, keen to uncover the ‘true’ nature of the piece, questioned whether it was “in fact genuine”.
Joanna said: “It is not a Van Cleef and Arpels brooch, because it is not signed and it hasn’t got its number.
“But it has been made by the same workshop that made those brooches for Van Cleef and Arpels.
“For me, I just love the fact that this probably is completely unique.
“Because I don’t think he would have been allowed to make more than one and it would have had to have been a very special occasion.”
Joanna explained that, despite the lack of documentation due to “hardly any records of his workshop,” there was a 20-year gap in the brooch’s history.
Joanna continued, saying: “I asked Catherine how much this would be worth at auction and we think it would generate quite a bit of interest. We would say at auction, you’d be looking between £40,000 to £50,000.”
Upon hearing the astonishing valuation, the daughter was visibly shocked, while her mother exclaimed, “You never”.
In disbelief, the daughter remarked, “Good heavens. Wow. I mean, that’s a real shock”.
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Reflecting on the item’s uniqueness, she stated: “That makes it even more special I think, knowing it’s a one-off piece that was made for somebody very, very important.
“We wouldn’t have those connections or be able to find out that information. Thank you.”
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