Owner Gasps At Value Of Jewellery She Didn't Think Was Real!

Well, we're sitting in a garden, and in a way this is a little celestial garden that you brought to me today, isn't it? And tell me about these wonderful jewels, where do they come from? Well, that was left to me by my mother, and through my mother from her mother, so I know where that came from. But when our mother died, because this is my sister here, we went through sort of various little boxes and things of nothing in particular. And we each had a choice, and this was my choice, and I mean I don't even know if it's real. We never saw it, my mother never wore it, and my father didn't know where it came from, never seen it before. My goodness, well it certainly is real actually, it's a most fascinating jewel. There's a huge revival for everything 18th century and the 19th century, and to all intents and purposes the use of the enamel, the use of the gem setting, the whole composition is inspired by 18th century France. But we can say with absolute confidence this isn't an 18th century jewel, it's an 18th century revival one. And blue enamel, diamonds, a little ruby in the front, and turn it over and there's a locket at the back, a very tightly fitting locket, but one would be able to remove that and put a photograph or a lock of hair in there. Have you worn it? I do, I do wear it, and I love it. Good, that's marvellous. And so you love your jewellery, what do you feel when you wear the jewellery? I think a sort of regal, I think. Yes, well that's fantastic, well it's a sort of shot in the arm, or a shot somewhere anyway, of a jewellery. Now tell me about this one, this is a most extraordinary bug, isn't it? It's a sort of, almost a bug that's been living too close to size well-be, it's gone all blue and shiny, hasn't he? It's wonderful. I always thought it was actually bought for my grandmother. And what date would that might have been? Er, 18... 1890s. Yes. No, that's absolutely perfect I think, because I mean this is, one can look at jewellery and it is dated, and dated by design, and that's what we really look for actually, and this is a superb gem set, bumblebee brooch, or at least a bee brooch, and a Victorian one, but actually thanks to the box, which has been rather carefully preserved, we know perfectly well that it was made by a firm called La Cloche Frere. It's terribly difficult to decipher. Isn't it? But it's absolutely there, and a very distinguished firm, running in competition with Cartier, so there's a maker for a superb gem set, bumblebee. The thing about the bumblebees is that they are a little message in a way. It's a bee, and with the pin, it's bee sure, and I know it's rather sort of corny in a way, it's even more corny when the thing's rather conspicuously valuable, because the body is made up of rather silky looking Ceylon sapphire, isn't it, and although not the most intense colour, it's a very, very pleasing colour, and very nice bright diamonds, and little rather menacing little ruby eyes, and furry feet, and antennae and things. Any ideas of value? Well, I know that Parr had that valued at about 4,000, and that, well, we didn't even know it was real, so... No, no, so that's up for grabs, isn't it? My goodness. Well, 4,000, that's a little while ago, because I think that's a very desirable thing, it's very concentrated, it's very animated, it's by a superb maker, and everybody wants this thing, honestly they do, and value is to do with measured want, that's all that value is, and I'm going to tell you that in measured want, that that's 10,000 pounds. Oh, Lord. And measured want again here, not off the hook quite yet. Not quite the same gasp-making figure, but quite enough at, say, 4,500, 5,000 pounds. Very gasp, if you think that it was sort of loose, and Ma never wore it. Well, superb, thank you very much. Thank you.