The woman inherited the five-carat sparkler from her mother.
Published on August 21, 2025 11:16AM
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Key Takeaways
- In an episode of "Antiques Roadshow," a woman learns that her mother's engagement ring is worth $140,000.
- The piece, which was evaluated once in 1973, was previously given a value of $20,500.
- The five-carat sparkler features an emerald-cut diamond.
Your engagement ring is likely one of the most sentimental pieces in your possession: This diamond ultimately represents the commitment between you and your partner. And if your sparkler is a family heirloom, it may hold even greater significance, representing not only your and your spouse's devotion to each other, but also the love stories of previous generations. In such a case, you may assume you know every important detail about the piece. Yet, for one woman, she recently discovered something new about her decades-old ring, learning that the jewel was worth a shocking $140,000.
The woman, who appeared on an episode of Antiques Roadshow, identified the piece, which she inherited from her mother, as a Van Cleef & Arpels diamond ring. While the guest said that the sparkler was evaluated once in 1973 and given a value of $20,500, she added that she had no idea what it was worth today. "This was my mother's ring from her second marriage," the woman said, according to Market Realist. "I think it was around 1971 or 1972 is what I'm guessing probably closer to 1972." The jewel was particularly meaningful to the guest's mother, who reportedly nicknamed it the "Denning diamond" in a nod to her partner's name. "This diamond, it stayed on her finger and she refused to take it off," the woman added. "She was very sentimental about it."
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In evaluating the ring, Kaitlin Shinnick, the show's expert, noted that it was a high-quality emerald cut. "It really shows off the clarity of the stone, and that was one of the first things I noticed about this stone was its incredible clarity, and that means its lack of inclusions, diamonds," Shinnick said. Even though the jewel may not have denoted the maker, the guest noted that it was crafted by Van Cleef & Arpels, according to paperwork her mother had saved.
In terms of the size of the jewel, Shinnick deduced that it was approximately five carats. "Again, it's a very, very clean stone, it's a relatively white stone, it's probably about an eye color," she said. "This has a classic setting for an emerald-cut diamond, which is a four-prong setting, and then at the side are two tapered baguettes, and I know it's platinum." Based on all of these elements, the expert noted that the sparkler would likely be sold for anywhere between $80,000 and $120,000 at auction, an evaluation that left the guest shocked. However, due to insurance reasons, Shinnick added that the value of the piece would actually be $140,000. "Oh great!," the woman said in response. "Well, that's a phantasm! That's nice!"
