Antiques Roadshow expert 'on the floor' as guest refuses to believe brooch's value

An Antiques Roadshow guest was adamant that an expert was wrong when she shared her suspicions that it could be worth a fortune.

The series ventured to Beaumaris Castle, Wales, to film the latest episode with jewellery specialist Joanna Hardy on hand to speak to guests about their treasured items. Among them was a mother-and-daughter duo who presented Joanna with an unusual ballerina-shaped brooch, something which really caught the expert’s eye.

“You were in my jewellery queue this morning and opened the jewellery box and just said to me ‘what do you think of this?’" Joanna began. “I was just doing cartwheels in my head and I was actually physically on the floor. I thought ‘is this true? It can’t be true’ so before we go into all of that, I would love to hear the story behind this brooch.”

The daughter shared that the brooch had been given to her mum by her bridge partner who was a Polish jeweller in the 1970s and 1980s. When he was shutting up shop, he asked if there was anything that she wanted and after narrowing it down to a few, she told her husband to pick one on her behalf.

The guest said ballet had been “quite a passion of the family” with her mum previously teaching at a private ballet school in Chester.

When Joanna asked the original owner of the brooch for her thoughts on the item, she shared: “Well I thought it was a bit too glamourous. I mean, I loved it for the texture, the shape and the subject.”

Joanna began to give her analysis of the brooch: “This is made with turquoise, rubies, 18 carat gold and diamonds and it’s very simple materials and yet you look at it, you can really feel the dancer. It’s a fabulous jewel. It has all the properties, all the wonderful skills of a company called Van Cleef and Arpels.

“They are, and were, fabulous, fabulous jewellers and craftspeople. Alfred Van Cleef, he married Estelle Arpels in 1895 and they were both from gemstone dynasties and in fact, Alfred and Estelle’s brothers got together and they formed Van Cleef and Arpels in 1906.

“They made ballerina brooches from the 1940s but not that many. Like yourself, they were passionate about ballet, they were real enthusiasts.”

It wasn’t all good news though as the expert was unable to find the Van Cleef and Arpels signature and only the company itself would be able to verify it was truly one of their products.

She continued: “So I absolutely think you must go and see them and they would be able to give you the yes or the no. I was searching for a maker’s mark. They have French marks on the bottom of the feet for the French gold. It also has another signature which the ballerina brooches have is that their faces are set with a rose-cut diamond and this is set with a rose-cut diamond face.”

Nevertheless, she added: “If it is right, it is tens and tens of thousands of pounds.” While the daughter exclaimed: “Oh my gosh”, the mum was a little less overwhelmed by the potential price, stating: “Can’t be.”

Joanna added: “This is a serious jewel but I think it’s absolutely stunning and I know that Van Cleef and Arpels sure would be very glad to help you and then come back and tell me.”

The expert then later said in a separate interview: “I think it’s just so exciting and even if it’s right or not right, I think it’s just a fabulous jewel.”

Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.