
Appraisal: Platinum & Thai Sapphire Ring, ca. 1935
Clip: Season 29 Episode 3 | 3m 25sVideo has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Platinum & Thai Sapphire Ring, ca. 1935
Check out Gloria Lieberman’s appraisal of a platinum & Thai sapphire ring, ca. 1935, in Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Hour 3.
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Funding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by Ancestry and American Cruise Lines. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers.

Appraisal: Platinum & Thai Sapphire Ring, ca. 1935
Clip: Season 29 Episode 3 | 3m 25sVideo has Closed Captions
Check out Gloria Lieberman’s appraisal of a platinum & Thai sapphire ring, ca. 1935, in Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Hour 3.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipGUEST: It was my grandmother's ring that she bought in 1935.
Her diary, I have an entry that she purchased it in...Bangkok, Siam, which is now Thailand.
APPRAISER: Thailand.
GUEST: But I don't know if that was the stone or the setting that she purchased then, because I also have some family lore that she maybe got it in Ceylon, which is now Sri Lanka.
That part is one of my question marks, as is the actual setting, which I know is platinum.
I'd heard it might have been a Tiffany's setting from London or Paris Tiffany's at that time, but I couldn't find it in her journal to confirm that.
I just always heard that from my father.
APPRAISER: Yeah.
So what year did it actually come into your possession?
GUEST: I think I've had it about ten years.
APPRAISER: Do you wear it?
GUEST: (soft chuckle) I would love to wear it.
I tried to get it sized up to be able to wear it, but the very respected local jeweler said he wouldn't even touch it until I had an appraisal.
I have a little note that said it was appraised in 1951, but I don't have the appraisal.
I don't know what.
But I do have a-a verification from a lab that it's a natural sapphire.
APPRAISER: Well, that's very important in today's world.
Everyone wants natural color.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: And you have a very early cert from the G.I.A., 1969.
That is one of the earliest colored stone certs (laughs) in America, (laughs) and I have never seen one from the G.I.A, from that period.
So that, to me, is very, very interesting.
And they give a dimension.
They don't give a weight.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: I measured it, and I'm coming up with around 15 plus carats.
GUEST: Oh, wow.
APPRAISER: So...
GUEST: That's wonderful.
APPRAISER: ...it's a big boy.
(both laugh) APPRAISER: And it's a beautiful stone.
What's interesting about a sapphire is usually, they are not emerald-cut.
It's very hard to get a brilliant emerald-cut.
This is a classic American Art Deco mounting.
It looks like the Chrysler Building.
So it's pure period American Art Deco from the mid-1930s.
So the mounting, as you know, is all platinum.
It's marked platinum, but the shoulders are all engraved platinum.
There's no other diamond in it.
This stone can stand by itself.
Now, of course, values change by country of origin.
Without a country of origin certificate...
GUEST: Mmm.
APPRAISER: ...I cannot tell you really what country it came from.
But I'm going to-- let's just say it's Ceylon.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: Uh, if it's a Ceylon, it's worth at least $10,000 a carat.
If it's a Burma, it's worth $20,000 a carat.
Now, if you hit the jackpot and it's a Kashmir, you're looking at $50,000 a carat.
So this ring, the lowest value at auction is $150,000 to $250,000.
GUEST: (laughing): Oh, my gosh.
APPRAISER: If it's a Burma, you're at $300,000.
If it's a Kashmir, you're at $750,000.
GUEST: (laughs) APPRAISER: So are you wearing it?
GUEST: (laughing): I mean... uh...
I guess I would have to have a very special occasion to put that on.
APPRAISER: Yeah.
GUEST: But, uh, wow.
APPRAISER: Yeah.
And once we can determine the country of origin, then you would, could have it insured.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: And then worn, or not.
GUEST: Gotcha.
(laughs) APPRAISER: Well, I think you're a lucky gal.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: This is a fabulous ring, a fabulous stone.
Appraisal: 1832 Andrew Jackson Proclamation on Silk
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Clip: S29 Ep3 | 2m 36s | Appraisal: 1832 Andrew Jackson Proclamation on Silk (2m 36s)
Appraisal: 1857 Queen's Cup Ascot Race Trophy
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Clip: S29 Ep3 | 3m 24s | Appraisal: 1857 Queen's Cup Ascot Race Trophy (3m 24s)
Appraisal: 1873 W. G. Chamberlain Photo Album
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Clip: S29 Ep3 | 3m 8s | Appraisal: 1873 W. G. Chamberlain Photo Album (3m 8s)
Appraisal: 1954 Gibson Les Paul Standard Guitar Group
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Clip: S29 Ep3 | 1m 3s | Appraisal: 1954 Gibson Les Paul Standard Guitar Group (1m 3s)
Appraisal: 1956 Curta Calculator Type II
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Clip: S29 Ep3 | 1m 25s | Appraisal: 1956 Curta Calculator Type II (1m 25s)
Appraisal: 1958 Ludwig Bemelmans 'Rio' Watercolor
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Clip: S29 Ep3 | 3m 48s | Appraisal: 1958 Ludwig Bemelmans 'Rio' Watercolor (3m 48s)
Appraisal: 2nd - 3rd Century C. E. Roman Glass Bottles
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Clip: S29 Ep3 | 2m 27s | Appraisal: 2nd - 3rd Century C. E. Roman Glass Bottles (2m 27s)
Appraisal: American Satsuma Box, ca. 1910
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Clip: S29 Ep3 | 2m 44s | Appraisal: American Satsuma Box, ca. 1910 (2m 44s)
Appraisal: Elvis Presley Military Archive, ca. 1960
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Clip: S29 Ep3 | 2m 23s | Appraisal: Elvis Presley Military Archive, ca. 1960 (2m 23s)
Appraisal: German Wax Doll with Original Dress, ca. 1890
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Clip: S29 Ep3 | 2m 18s | Appraisal: German Wax Doll with Original Dress, ca. 1890 (2m 18s)
Appraisal: Japanese Russet Iron Namban Helmet, ca. 1800
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Clip: S29 Ep3 | 2m 39s | Appraisal: Japanese Russet Iron Namban Helmet, ca. 1800 (2m 39s)
Appraisal: Mike Disfarmer Portraits, ca. 1940
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Clip: S29 Ep3 | 3m 29s | Appraisal: Mike Disfarmer Portraits, ca. 1940 (3m 29s)
Appraisal: Neal Walters Circus Poster & Woodblocks, ca. 1950
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Clip: S29 Ep3 | 3m 16s | Appraisal: Neal Walters Circus Poster & Woodblocks, ca. 1950 (3m 16s)
Appraisal: Omega Seamaster 300 Wristwatch, ca. 1965
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Clip: S29 Ep3 | 2m 34s | Appraisal: Omega Seamaster 300 Wristwatch, ca. 1965 (2m 34s)
Appraisal: Winchester Single W Cartridge Board, ca. 1890
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Clip: S29 Ep3 | 3m 26s | Appraisal: Winchester Single W Cartridge Board, ca. 1890 (3m 26s)
Preview: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Hour 3
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Preview: S29 Ep3 | 30s | Preview: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Hour 3 (30s)
Owner Interview: 1873 W. G. Chamberlain Photo Album
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Clip: S29 Ep3 | 1m 33s | Owner Interview: 1873 W. G. Chamberlain Photo Album (1m 33s)
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