An Antiques Roadshow guest broke down in tears when her grandmother’s ‘stunning’ jewellery was given a life-changing, five-figure valuation. 

The repeat episode of the BBC programme, which was filmed in Belfast’s Botanic Gardens and first hit screens in 2024, saw host Fiona Bruce joined by a band of experts to offer up their valuations on a range of treasured items. 

Expert Susan Rumfitt was joined by a woman in one segment of the show, who had brought in some antique jewellery that she was gifted by her grandmother. 

The guest explained, showcasing a glamorous photograph of her relative: ‘Her name is Irene Pitts and she married my grandfather before the first World War One.

‘He was killed in France at the very beginning of the war. After he died, she went to England and married someone called Robin Buxton. I think he probably gave her these jewels and then my father gave them to me after my grandmother died.’

Susan gushed over the jewels as ‘beautiful’ as she added: ‘What I love about the brooch is that it is quite a bold statement. 

An Antiques Roadshow guest broke down in tears when her grandmother’s ‘stunning’ jewellery was given a life-changing, five-figure valuation

Expert Susan Rumfitt was joined by a woman in one segment of the show, who had brought in some antique jewellery that she was gifted by her grandmother

‘It’s so pretty with a delicate flower here with the gorgeous cut diamonds we have. And the fact it’s got movement as well.

‘It must be by a good jeweller. I love a good brooch so I just think something like that is stunning. Round the edge we also have some very delicate engraving which helps date it to the latter part of the 19th/early 20th century.

‘The necklace is very similar in date. It’s what we call a Lavalier pendant, so you’ve got two drops there. Slightly different in length. Have you noticed there is some fittings on the back on the drops?

‘Those fittings enable you to take the drops off and wear them as earrings as well. It’s a multifunctional pendant. I wonder if it has been made for a special Royal occasion as it has a coronet here.’

Susan went on to explain she suspected that the jewellery was made from a series of natural pearls, adding: ‘They have a beautiful lustre to them and slightly different in shape and size, which I think is gorgeous.

‘With natural pearls, of course it really is an X-ray that will tell us for sure, but I’m very confident these are natural pearls.’

Susan went on to offer up her mammoth valuation, which totalled to an impressive five-figure sum that left the show guest in tears and covering her mouth. 

The guest explained, showcasing a glamorous photograph of her relative: ‘Her name is Irene Pitts and she married my grandfather before the first World War One.’

The expert said: ‘I love the diamond brooch. If that came up for auction, I would expect it go between £5000 to £7000. It’s just sumptuous, the movement is really gorgeous.

‘And then we have the beautiful pendant. It’s absolutely stunning. Auction estimate is £20,000 to £30,000.’ 

The guest responded: ‘Wow, never entered my head. It’s just one almighty shock. I just thought it was a nice pendant and it was worth maybe not a lot. It’s just took my breath away is all I can say.’

It comes after a guest on the Antiques Roadshow was left wide-eyed in shock when she learned the shocking value of a family heirloom that she could ‘never sell’ – and it’s got a connection to the Jack the Ripper case. 

Appearing on Sunday’s episode of the popular TV programme, the woman, who was accompanied by her husband, explained that the heirloom was a portrait of her relative Thomas Bond. 

The guest revealed: ‘This picture has been sat in my parents’ house for as long as I can remember.

‘Just recently my husband and I have been doing some research and we found out he became a police surgeon. The interesting part is that he was involved in the Jack the Ripper murder investigation.’ 

Joining the conversation, the guest’s husband added: ‘He started to do what was thought to be the first medical profiling. There was some thoughts at the time that Jack the Ripper had some medical knowledge or was a surgeon.

‘Dr Thomas Bond was very clear this was the work of someone who didn’t have surgical skills.’ 

Susan went on to offer up her mammoth valuation, which totalled to an impressive five-figure sum that left the show guest in tears and covering her mouth

Impressed by the painting’s backstory, expert Lawrence pointed out a small initial on the oil painting that read ‘G.F.C.’

This small clue saw him identify the painter of the piece as George Frederic Watts and he added: ‘He was one of the pioneers of the Victorian age.’

Lawrence said that the painter was known for much larger, more colourful paintings – making the dark and moody portrait an unusual example of his work.  

The expert said: ‘He was known for large-scale colourful views on huge canvases. Some of them you have to look at with a deep breath.’ 

This was followed by the all-important valuation, which was influenced by the rarity of the painting – and its connection to Dr Bond himself as well as the notorious (and still unsolved) Jack the Ripper murders. 

Lawrence said: ‘Not that this will ever be sold, [but] I’d expect to see this sell in the region of £10,000 to 15,000.’ 

Needless to say, the guest was left wide-eyed at the impressive valuation and gave her husband a telling glance suggesting that she may wish to sell it. 

However, he stressed that they will be keeping the painting in the family but said that they had plans to exhibit it at the time of the episode’s airing in October 2024. 

The expert agreed: ‘Sharing the story with the wider audience is a good idea. Best of luck with it.’

Lawrence said that the painter was known for much larger, more colourful paintings – making the dark and moody portrait an unusual example of his work

The painting’s appearance on the show comes after another guest got a very pleasant surprise after learning the eye-watering value of a brooch he’d carelessly thrown in a plastic bag.

The gold rabbit with a sapphire and diamond eye was so small that it was able to fit between just two of expert Joanna Hardy’s fingers. 

Joanna said: ‘Usually people come to my table and they’re showing me a jewel in a box, but you came and showed me the bunny brooch in a plastic bag.’ 

The guest admitted: ‘Well I only put it in that plastic bag to come here to be honest.’

The expert replied: ‘I’m pleased, I’m pleased about that!’

‘I am very delighted that he’s here, because as soon as I saw this and felt it, I just knew, “Oh, we’ve got something special here”.

A guest on the Antiques Roadshow got a very pleasant surprise after learning the eye-watering value of a brooch he’d thrown in a plastic bag

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Antiques Roadshow guest gasps ‘wow!’ as she learns eye-watering value of ‘iconic’ artefact

In the episode, which was originally aired last year, the owner said that he had purchased the brooch at an antiques fair 25 years ago.  

Examining the piece, Joanna said: ‘For something that is basically metal, it has life to it. And that’s because it’s a good-quality piece of jewellery. It’s got here the eye, which is sapphire, and the little eyelid is diamonds, little circular cut diamonds.

‘The but is, I think the LS that is engraved at the top by the ear is nothing to do with the maker. There is even sort of a scratching mark down the side, but that’s someone’s sort of shop code. So that’s got nothing to do with the maker on it either.’ 

Joanna assessed that the brooch was from the 1960s and made of 18-carat gold, revealing that ‘it would just need a little bit more digging’ to find out where it was made. 

Giving the all-important valuation, she said: ‘As is, without it being attributed to a particular jewellery house, it is so beautifully made, you’re talking at least £3,000.’

Needless to say, the brooch’s owner was more than a little surprised and he replied: ‘Oh God!’  

He went on to admit that he had speculated that the piece of jewellery was worth ‘about a thousand’.

Johanna then pointed out that if it is attributed to a high-end jewellery house like Cartier, he ‘would be looking at about £8,000 to £10,000’. 

Antiques Roadshow is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.