11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Antiques Roadshow expert praises Netflix's Bridgerton as guest taken aback by 'unusual' necklace's real worth
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WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Antiques Roadshow.
An Antiques Roadshow expert believes the rising popularity of certain period pieces of jewellery was sparked by Netflix's romantic drama, Bridgerton.
The BBC daytime series ventured to Londonderry where more guests brought in their beloved items to find out more about them and just how much they're worth.
Jewellery expert Joanna Hardy was on hand when a woman came in with a stand-out necklace.
Hardy commented: 'Jewellery always catches my attention but there will be different reasons why it catches my attention.
'And this is because of its age and rarity. How did you get this?'
'Well it's been in the family since the 1950s. I believe my aunt bought it in Dublin,' the owner replied, as she went on to clarify that it was purchased at an antiques shop.
Hardy asked: 'And did she know what she had?'
To this, the guest shared: 'Not really, no. She just liked the piece I think, and she just thought it was quite unusual and that took her eye.'
(Image: BBC)
Focussing on the necklace itself, the specialist elaborated: 'This is a very long chain and this is Georgian period, so we're talking late 1820s. So it's nearly 200-years-old.
'It's a belcher link chain or we call it a muff chain and a muff chain is literally when they would have a gold chain and at the end, they would attach it to a muff.
'And you can see this beautiful decoration work, it's very light in weight.
'The Californian Gold Rush was in 1848 so prior to that, the gold pieces were very light, because there wasn't much gold around.'
Hardy then spoke of the reasons why she liked this piece 'so much', remarking: 'It hasn't been chopped up into bracelets.
'And so often long chains will have been divided up amongst the family over time.'
(Image: BBC)
She then unexpectedly brought the influence of television into the conversation: 'There's also a TV series called Bridgerton which has really made Georgian jewellery really popular.
'So, of course, you know it's 200-years-old, so there has to be some wear and tear.
'And if I look in between the links, you can see the wear which is natural wear over the ages because it's been loved.'
Concluding her appraisal, the expert remarked: 'So, at auction, because these items are so popular, you'd be looking at about £5,000.'
The guest's eyes widened upon hearing the figure, pulling a face as she said: 'Wow, that's a shock!'
She then took a brief moment before she added: 'That's a big shock. A big shock. A nice shock but a big shock.'
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
