A Pennsylvania artist saves a $2 necklace that looks like a Tide Pod, only to discover it’s actually worth $3,000
- Jess Smith, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, found the piece at a local thrift store
- She later learned that it was actually a work of art by the late Aaronel deRoy Gruber
- Smith has loaned the piece back to a foundation dedicated to the work of DeRoy Gruber
A 23-year-old artist has revealed how she picked up a $3,000 necklace for just $2 at a thrift store.
Jess Smith, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was visiting a local store when she found the “weird” necklace that resembled a Tide Pod.
After purchasing it, she searched a photo of the necklace on Google and discovered it was actually a rare lost piece of art.
It was created by the late Pittsburgh artist Aaronel deRoy Gruber, a sculptor famous for her 3D Plexiglas pieces. Smith was later told the piece was worth between $2,800 and $3,200.
Smith told Insider, “I saw this really weird necklace hanging there with a giant, clear pendant on it. And when I say giant, I mean it was a hanger, easily five by two or ten by four inches.
Jess Smith, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was visiting a local thrift store when she found the “weird” necklace that looked like a Tide Pod. She documented her find on TikTok
“It was neon, translucent, and I thought it was plastic.”
She added, “It cost $1.99 so I figured I might as well get it.” It looks pretty funky. I’ll carry it.’
Upon closer inspection, she saw that it had an inscription with the date ‘1973’ spelled out.
After realizing where the necklace came from, she reached out to the Irving and Aaronel deRoy Gruber Foundation on Instagram.
Foundation director Brittany Reilly then contacted Smith and informed her of the true value of the art.
After realizing where the necklace came from, Smith reached out to the Irving and Aaronel deRoy Gruber Foundation on Instagram
“The first thing she said to me was, ‘I don’t even need to see it in person. I know this is a real Gruber chain,” Smith told Insider.
“She also said it’s a very special piece because Gruber made quite a few different necklaces—they don’t know how many—but each one has a completely unique color palette and shape.”
She was told she could keep the necklace or be put in touch with private collectors who would pay full price for it.
In the end, however, she decided to offer it to the gallery on loan for a year.
After she documented her story on TikTok, many people commented that the piece resembled a Tide Pod.
Born in 1918, DeRoy Gruber became known for her abstract paintings before turning to sculpture and later photography. She died in 2011 when she was 92 years old.
Her work can be seen at the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Butler Institute of American Art, and the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, among others.