Antiques Roadshow guest in tears over eye-watering valuation of late mom’s diamond ring: ‘Smiling from heaven’

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend – and her daughter’s – as an Antiques Roadshow guest learned Monday night.

The woman, who was a guest in the last episode of the go to the PBS show which was filmed in Bentonville, Arkansas, was stunned to learn that her late mother’s ring is now worth almost 14 times its original price.

The guest shared the beautiful story behind her inheritance of the dazzling diamond and platinum piece, created in the 1950s, and how important it was to her family.

“My father bought this ring for my mother after she fell into the Arkansas River off our houseboat,” the woman explained to Sarah Churgin, an appraiser who buys fine jewelry and antiques.

The guest explained that her family had their houseboat moored at the Island Harbor Marina in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, when her beloved mother fell in and sank immediately because she could not swim.

“The undertow pulled her underwater and she didn’t come back up,” the guest explained.

“We were all panicking and we all thought she was drowning,” she remembers.

She continued, “Finally Dad and my brothers jumped in, and I jumped in and we found her and we pulled her back up, and Dad was so upset that he sold the houseboat the next day and bought this ring for my mom.”

The Arkansas local fondly recalled joking with her brothers and her mother every time she wore the beautiful ring, saying, “mommy, you’re wearing our houseboat.”

“We were just happy that our mother was safe and sound,” she said through tears.

The woman then explained the origin of the ring.

“Dad got this ring because he had a good friend, his name was Zappy, whose girlfriend tried to get him to give her this ring,” she said.

“Zappy told Dad, ‘I have to sell this ring before this woman lets me marry her,’ so Dad went to Zappy and bought the ring the next day,” she laughed.

The ring was purchased in the 1980s for $5,000.

She was stunned to learn that her late mother’s ring is now worth almost fourteen times its original price

“My mother, she enjoyed this ring so much, she would take it to her little lunches and wear it, and you know, ‘la dee da,’ and she wanted me to have it and she wanted to pass it on to my mother. daughter,” the guest said, choking with emotion.

“Mum passed away about 20 years ago and I’ve been wearing it ever since,” she continued.

“I know my mother is smiling down from heaven,” she continued, her voice shaking. “It means so much to me to have this ring on this show today.”

Appraiser Sarah was impressed by the beautiful piece of jewelry, which featured a giant round diamond in the center, with four smaller diamonds on either side, and two rows of baguette diamonds.

“It’s a spectacular and comfortable piece of jewelry,” Sarah told the emotional woman.

‘It’s from the fifties. The ring is beautifully made, with round, brilliant cut stones that have a graduation,” the expert explained after examining the ring.

‘The stone in the center is a very pure, brilliant cut diamond – almost 3.5 carats. It’s also a bit fluorescent, so if we had a sunnier day than today, it would really pop,” she continued.

“The ring has a total carat weight of over five carats,” she told her guest.

She then told the woman the shocking price of the ring.

“The retail value of this ring today is between $60,000 and $70,000,” Sarah revealed.

“Gosh-o-Pete-o,” the stunned guest said, before laughing in disbelief. “Oh wow.”

“I better get insurance for it,” she joked.

Antiques Roadshows airs Monday to Monday at 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM on PBS.