Every engagement ring is special, but there's something extra remarkable about heirloom diamonds, which come with their own storied history and, often, a deep family connection. On a past episode of Antiques Roadshow, which was shared on the show's Facebook page, one woman took her engagement ring—a bauble passed down through her husband's family—to be appraised, and she detailed what she knew about the piece's history. "It is an engagement ring from my husband," the woman noted. "It was handed down from his great, or grand-aunt, Lottie." The ring in question features a massive center stone in a platinum or white gold setting with ornate diamond work on the sides.
"I have had the ring appraised," the guest went on to explain, "but the appraiser was uncertain about the actual price because of the origin. She was confusing it maybe with a Cartier and wasn't sure because of the markings." The guest then went on to show the appraiser a photo of her husband's great-aunt, a stylish woman with short, curly hair wearing a fur coat. "Who else would have worn a ring like that?" the appraiser asked.
The appraiser went on to explain that the ring wasn't "the norm" in terms of shape, particularly for the time period. "When you think of classic engagement rings, you think of round, you think of emerald-cut of this period, and you think, maybe, what is the shape of this ring?" Ultimately, she noted that the ring is an old European cut diamond with a "fat pear" shape. "Fat pears, I love, because they read voluptuous. They're kind of a sexy stone," the appraiser explained.
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The diamond is a "nice, healthy" 5-carat stone, the appraiser went on to note. In terms of color, it's not a pure white stone, though it can be difficult to tell because of the setting, she explained. That being said, it wasn't yellow either. "It's hovering between white and yellow, but reading much more yellow... it makes that a very soft, sumptuous color," she said. "It's pale, it's alluring."
In looking more closely at the ring, the appraiser explained that it lacked the markings of jewelry houses she would have expected to see, like Cartier. Instead, she found "K & F and Company," and noted that the ring was definitely American, made in New York, Boston, or Philadelphia, and likely dates back to the 1920s. "It's pure Art Deco," she explained.
Because the ring is so unusual and the shape so rare, the appraiser said it was very difficult to come up with a direct comp for the piece. She valued it at $55-$65K, but noted that it would be very hard to find something similar without going the custom route. "Who would have it?" she asked. "You'd have to go to some fancy shop that carries esoteric, one-of-a-kind diamonds. You can't comp this out."
