By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-15 04:41:51 | Updated at 2025-01-15 08:54:24
4 hours ago
Diamonds are a girl's best friend - and her daughter's - as one Antiques Roadshow guest learned on Monday night.
The woman, who was a guest on the latest episode of the hit PBS show which was filmed in Bentonville, Arkansas, was stunned to learn that her late mom's ring is now worth almost 14 times its original price.
The guest shared the beautiful story behind her inheriting the dazzling diamond and platinum piece, made in the 1950s, and how important it was to her family.
'My daddy bought this ring for my mom after she fell into the Arkansas River off of our houseboat,' the woman explained to Sarah Churgin, an appraiser dealing in acquisitions of fine jewelry and antiques.
The guest explained her family had docked their houseboat at the Island Harbor Marina in Pine Bluff Arkansas when her beloved mother fell in, immediately sinking as she couldn't swim.
'The undercurrent pulled her under, and she didn't come back up,' the guest explained.
The woman was a guest on the latest episode of the hit PBS show which was filmed in Bentonville, Arkansas
'We were all panicking and we all thought she was drowning,' she recalled.
She continued: 'Finally, daddy and my brothers jumped in, and I jumped in and we found her and we pulled her back up, and daddy was so upset he sold the houseboat the next day and bought this ring for my mother.'
The Arkansas local fondly recalled kidding around with her brothers with her mom whenever she wore the beautiful ring, saying 'mama, you're wearing our houseboat.'
'We were just glad to have our mother safe and sound,' she said tearfully.
The woman then went on to explain the origins of the ring.
'Daddy got this ring because he had a good friend, his name was Zappy, whose girlfriend was trying to get him to give her this ring,' she recounted.
'Zappy told daddy, "I've got to sell this ring before this woman makes me marry her," so, daddy went over to Zappy's 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 mom's ring is now worth almost 14 times its original price
'My mom, she enjoyed this ring so much, she would take it to her little luncheons and wear it, and just you know, "la dee da," and she wanted me to have it and she wanted to pass it down to my daughter,' the guest said, choking up with emotion.
'Mama had 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 wavering. 'It just means so much to me that this ring is on this show today.'
Appraiser Sarah was blown away by the gorgeous piece of jewelry, which features a giant round diamond in the middle, with four smaller diamonds 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 1950s. It's beautifully made mounting, with round, brilliant cut stones that graduate,' the expert explained after examining the ring.
'The stone in the center is a very clean, brilliant cut diamond - almost 3.5 carats. It's also slightly fluorescent, so if we had a sunnier day than we had today it would really pop,' she continued.
'The ring has a total carat weight above five carats,' she told her guest.
She then told the woman the shocking price of the ring.
'A retail value today for this ring is in the range of $60,000 to $70,000,' Sarah revealed.
'Geez-o-Pete-o,' the stunned guest said, before laughing in disbelief. 'Oh wow.'
'I better get some insurance on it,' she quipped.
Antiques Roadshows airs Mondays at Mondays at 8/7c and 9/8c PM on PBS.
