Two guests on Antiques Roadshow were left speechless after discovering that their late grandmother's "costume jewellery" was actually far more valuable than they ever imagined. The BBC show was filming at Wollaton Hall in Nottingham when cousins received a staggering valuation.
Expert John examined the sentimental pieces, which had been passed down from their "great-great-great granny" along with an item from their great aunt. One particular piece caught John's attention as the women explained: "She was gifted it as costume jewellery."
Weightless ring turns out to be emerald
The cousins believed the items had little to no worth, and one even slipped the ring on, telling John it felt weightless. But he quickly exclaimed: "It's an emerald!" and explained it was a South American emerald, encircled by Victorian-cut white diamonds set in 18-carat gold, before asking: "Shall we talk a little bit about the values?"
John told the guests their treasures would earn approximately £3,500 at auction, but then cheekily remarked: "I haven't even started yet." He revealed that the emerald ring alone would fetch around £4,000.
Total value of £7,000 to £10,000
"You've actually got a total value there of something like seven to ten thousand pounds," John added, prompting one of the women to exclaim: "Oh my god!"
Antiques Roadshow's Hilary Kay was also bowled over when a never-before-seen collection of Elizabethan textiles dating back 500 years appeared on her table while filming at Wollaton Hall.
Rare Elizabethan textiles discovered
The collection included a bedcover and two pillowcases stitched by Elizabeth I and her ladies in waiting, and was headed by an "extremely rare" ivory silk satin sleeve and sleeve support. The pieces had belonged to the Wollaton family, who constructed Wollaton Hall in 1588, and prior to their discovery no examples of sleeve supports were known to exist.
The sleeve support, called a farthingale sleeve, has stayed in almost pristine condition along with the satin sleeve it originally held up. Expert and lecturer Kay said: "Exceptional. It is such an exciting moment to be faced with something from the 16th century which is in such incredible condition."
