Latest news with #GeoffreyMunn
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Antiques Roadshow expert sends guest AWAY after spotting 'crucial' detail missing from diamond bracelet linked to Hollywood star
An Antiques Roadshow expert sent a guest away after spotting a 'crucial' detail missing from their diamond bracelet, which was linked to a Hollywood star. A resurfaced episode of the BBC show, which sees specialist appraisers value heirlooms and heritage items, went to the Baddesley Clinton manor in Warwickshire. Expert Geoffrey Munn was asked to assess a stunning diamond bracelet, said to have once belonged to iconic Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth. He admired the beautiful jewellery: 'Diamonds sparkling in the sunshine here. This is almost Hollywood sunshine, isn't it?' The owner replied, revealing the item's Tinseltown origins: 'It is indeed and that is exactly where this was bought.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. She purchased the bracelet from an antique and jewellery store on Hollywood. The woman was introduced to the owner and they soon developed a close friendship, which lasted 24 years until the shopkeeper passed away. She added: 'It's always nice to have a jeweller as a friend. 'And I had inheritance so I thought I would put it into something tangible and also pretty and also probably a better investment than the bank.' With this origin story about diamonds and best friends, Geoffrey could not resist a couple of obvious jokes: 'Your best friend, a girl's best friend, all these cliches are tumbling out onto the table!' The owner said she bought the bracelet for $23,000, which is around £13,500 - but it was her mention of its previous owner that got Geoffrey really excited. 'But in fact it had belonged to Rita Hayworth', she said, to which the expert responded enthusiastically: 'Oh, how marvelous! That's very good to know.' The jewellery was a gift to the actress and pin-up girl, who was one of the top stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, best known for her turn in 1946 noir film Gilda. It was given to her by her third husband of a total five - Aly Khan, whose father was the former President of the Assembly of the League of Nations. The current owner of the bracelet, which she described as '1940s, American, fabulous Hollywood glitz', was clearly a big fan of Rita: 'She was an amazing star and a real Hollywood A-lister. 'She acted with absolutely everybody in Hollywood at the time - Glenn Ford, Frank Sinatra, Orson Welles.' Geoffrey agreed, pointing to her many fans: 'She was much adored and much loved.' But the owner, despite her best efforts, had not been able to find a picture of Rita wearing the bracelet so far. The specialist recommended she go away and keep trying to find such an image: 'Well, I will send you home to look for those photographs and maybe even her will would be interesting too, wouldn't it? 'And you've got to go in for a bit of open cast archaeology here because the provenance of these pieces have to be crucial in every sense of the word.' 'Because they're heirlooms, they're talismans and when you can associate them with somebody famous, someone utterly glamorous in lifestyle and in looks, then this adds hugely to your investment in some regard.' His recommendation informed his eventual estimate of how much the jewellery would go under the hammer for. Geoffrey said: 'Maybe if you go home and do your Rita Hayworth thing, find a photograph of her wearing it under the most spectacular circumstances with somebody famous, well, then £80,000.' The owner was absolutely delighted by this estimate: 'That's good! That was really quite a buy!' But the expert was quick to add: 'But if we can't find that and never do, then it's not so much fun. It might only be a mere £45,000.' The woman was not at all put off by that: 'It's still good! It's still lovely! I'm delighted!' It comes after guests on another more recent episode of Antiques Roadshow were stunned into silence after learning the eye-watering value of a watch purchased for just £21. Sunday's instalment of the popular BBC show saw expert Ben Wright presented with a pair of Rolex watches. One of them, the watch that cost only £21 originally, belonged to the guest's great-great-grandfather and was identified as the Rolex Prince. Sunday's instalment of the popular BBC show saw expert Ben Wright (pictured) presented with a pair of Rolex watches The other, more recent one, meanwhile, was his father's, who had accompanied the guest to appear on the programme. Of the older watch, Ben said, also looking at the paperwork accompanying it: 'I notice there's a little bit of wear and tear on the dial and we've got a later winder on the case.' Ben then went on to comment on the Rolex Submariner, which belongs to the father. 'I was a merchant navy cadet in 1976 and I saved up my pittance to buy that in Singapore. It was £250 I think,' he revealed. The specialist then revealed his valuation: 'At auction the Rolex Prince is going to be between £3,000 and £4,000. 'The Submariner, it's in great condition, all in all, the full ensemble at auction easily £8,000 to £12,000.' The father and son duo smiled and nodded silently at the whopping values, utterly stunned, before thanking Ben.
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Antiques Roadshow guest shocked by value of 'fascinating' heirloom jewellery she thought was fake
A guest on Antiques Roadshow was shocked by the value of a 'fascinating' piece of jewellery she thought was fake. Expert Geoffrey Munn was presented with two accessories during an episode that originally aired in 2006. A guest brought along pieces of jewellery she inherited from her late mother and explained how she had always assumed one of them didn't contain real jewels. One was a brooch which was shaped like a bee and the guest explained: 'Well that was left to me by my mother and through her mother from my mother, so I know where that came from.' She went on the reveal that when her mother passed away, she was able to choose something and selected the second item. 'I don't even know if it's real. We never saw it, my mother never wore it and my father didn't know where it came from. Never seen it before,' she revealed. The expert was surprised and clarified: 'Well, it certainly is real. Actually, it's the most fascinating jewel.' Geoffrey explained the item appeared to be 'inspired by 18th Century France'. He said it wasn't 'an 18th Century jewel' and instead was 'an 18th Century revival one and blue enamel, diamonds, a little ruby in the front'. While the bee brooch was dated from the 1890s and Geoffrey complimented the 'salon sapphire' it contained. The conversation then moved onto the value of the jewellery and the guest shared the bee brooch had been previously priced up at £4,000. Geoffrey said: 'Well £4,000, that's a little while ago because I think that's a very desirable thing. 'It's very concentrated, it's very animated, it's by a superb maker and everybody wants this thing, honestly they do. 'And value is to do with measured want, that's all that value is. And I'm going to tell you in measured want that that's £10,000.' The guest was taken aback by the valuation and Geoffrey then went on to look at the jewellery piece she thought was fake. He said: 'Not quite the same gasp-inducing figure but still substantial at £4,500.' The valuation visibly shocked the guest and she commented: 'That's very gasp if you think that it was sort of loose and Ma never wore it.'
Edinburgh Live
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Antiques Roadshow guest's face drops at massive figure for jewellery she didn't think was ‘real'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Antiques Roadshow. An Antiques Roadshow guest couldn't hide her amazement at the true price of her mum's jewellery that she didn't think were the real deal. Taking a look back at when the BBC daytime series travelled to Norwich in 2006, appraiser Geoffrey Munn met with a guest and her two beautiful inherited brooches. 'Well we're sitting in a garden and in a way, this is a little celestial garden that you brought me here today, isn't it?', he began. 'Tell me about these wonderful jewels, where do they come from?' Pointing to a bug-shaped brooch, she said: 'Well that was left to me by my mother and through her mother from my mother, so I know where that came from.' Then moving onto the second of the two items, she continued: 'But when our mother died, we went through various little boxes of things, of nothing in particular, and we each had a choice and this was my choice. 'I don't even know if it's real. We never saw it, my mother never wore it and my father didn't know where it came from. Never seen it before.' Munn clarified: 'My goodness. Well, it certainly is real. Actually, it's the most fascinating jewel. 'There's a huge revival for everything 18th Century and 19th Century and for all intents and purposes, the use of the enamel, the use of the gem setting, the whole composition, is inspired by 18th Century France. 'But we can say with absolute confidence this isn't an 18th Century jewel, it's an 18th Century revival one and blue enamel, diamonds, a little ruby in the front. (Image: BBC) 'And turn it over and there's a locket at the back. Very tightly fitting locket but one would be able to remove that and put a photograph or a lock of hair in there.' When asked if she wore the brooch, the owner said she did and 'loves it', to which Munn said: 'Good, that's marvellous! So you love your jewellery. What do you feel when you wear the jewellery?' 'I feel sort of regal, I think?' she described with the expert stating that was 'fantastic.' His attention then turned to the second of the two: 'Now tell me about this one. This is the most extraordinary bug, isn't it?' 'It's wonderful, I always thought it was actually bought for my grandmother,' she shared, commenting that she believed it was from around the 1890s. Munn concurred: 'No, that's absolutely perfect, I think, because one can look at jewellery and it is dated by design and that's what we really look for actually. 'This is a superb gem set bumblebee brooch or at least a bee brooch and a Victorian one. 'But thanks to the box which has been rather carefully preserved, we know perfectly well that it was made by a firm called Lacloche Freres.' 'It's terribly difficult to decipher,' she remarked as the expert agreed: 'Isn't it? But it's absolutely there. They're a very distinguished firm running in competition with Cartier. 'So there's a maker for a superb gem set bumblebee.' (Image: BBC) He then spoke of its 'silky looking salon sapphire', against its 'very pleasing colour' and 'little, rather menacing ruby eyes'. When Munn queried if she could guess what they were worth, she said: 'Well I know that Pa had that one valued at about £4,000 and that, well, we didn't even know it was real.' He went on to conclude: 'Well £4,000, that's a little while ago because I think that's a very desirable thing. 'It's very concentrated, it's very animated, it's by a superb maker and everybody wants this thing, honestly they do. 'And value is to do with measured want, that's all that value is. And I'm going to tell you in measured want that that's £10,000.' The guest's jaw dropped upon hearing this figure before scrunching up her face and gasping: 'Good God.' But he wasn't done as he moved onto the second of the two brooches: 'And measured want again here, not off the hook quite yet. Not quite the same gasp-making figure but quite enough at £4,500.' She replied: 'That's very gasp if you think that it was loose and Ma never wore it.' Munn added: 'Well superb. Thank you very much.' Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Daily Mirror
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Antiques Roadshow guest utters 'ouch' as mother-in-law's rings discovered to be worth 5-figure sum
An Antiques Roadshow guest truly believed her mother-in-law's "beautiful" ring was actually 'plastic', laughing as she heard its true value. WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow. An Antiques Roadshow guest chuckles as the ring she dismissed as "plastic" turns out to be worth a small fortune. Antiques expert Geoffrey Munn was present at Eastbourne Bandstand for the shooting of another instalment of the popular BBC daytime show. A woman approached him there, carrying a brooch and two rings, one of which originally belonged with the other piece of jewellery. She shared: "It was left to my daughter by my mother-in-law and she's got very narrow, very small beautiful fingers and she couldn't wear that one. "So we thought it's better to use it so she could wear it. We haven't damaged anything, we've just taken out very carefully and made it into a ring to fit her. "And then I put that one [another jewel] in, just to have something. And I kept the original box." Munn expressed an interest in the pieces' backgrounds, particularly the green ring nestled in its matching green box, prompting the owner's response: "That belonged to my other daughter from my mother-in-law again." When questioned about who initially bought the ring, she revealed: "I don't know. My mother-in-law was born and brought up in France, by Greek origin, and then she married my father-in-law in 1925 and she came to England. "They would regularly travel to Paris, so it could've been bought by my father-in-law or maybe her own father, I'm not certain." The expert weighed in: "I think it probably dates from her time in Paris and she was clearly a very discriminating buyer, because Boucheron is one of the most famous firms in the world for making jewellery, in tandem with Cartier and Faberge." He continued to admire the item before him, marvelling, "So it's the highest possible level of craftsmanship and here we see it. "This is a plaque of jade isn't it, mounted in platinum, with a sort of stylised ribbon behind it in sapphires and diamonds. "But this is superbly tight work, very meticulous, very shrill picture of perfection indeed." Moving on to its design influences, the expert elaborated, "And the disc of jade, it actually anticipates the art deco period where there was a whiff of the Orient brought in to the rather geometric style." Further speculating about its timeline, he said, "I suspect this is just a hint before that breaks out, maybe [in] 1920 this was made and then by 1925, 1927, things have got much more geometric and robust." Munn then turned his focus to the second ring, extolling it as a "beautiful expression" of the art deco aesthetic. Examining its materials, he clarified: "It's made of rock crystal which is nothing to do with glass at all. And it's a stone and its lapidary work and it almost looks like a machine-made object." The guest responded with humour: "Yes it does, I thought it was plastic!", to which Munn replied: "Well it most definitely isn't, it's ice-cold, water white, rock crystal -", only to be playfully cut off by her repeated jest that it "looks plastic". Renowned French jeweller Rene Boivin sold the piece, but it was actually crafted by Suzanne Belperron, a key producer for him. Commenting on the unique allure of the item, Munn reflected: "So you'd have a water white rock crystal art deco ring with a water white diamond in the middle, an older cut diamond, and it's a sort of essay in colourlessness, isn't it? And the return of light and scintillation. "Two stones, one valuable, one perhaps not valuable but decorative. "And these are stunning evocations of Parisian glamour, aren't they? It's exactly what people want today and with want comes dizzy value." Initiating his evaluation, Munn shared: "I think for this Boucheron brooch here, made of actually tiny, tiny sapphires and diamonds and jade of no particular value, is nudging £18,000." The owner was taken aback by the lofty valuation, visibly shocked as she gasped, "What? Ooh", seemingly lost for words. "But that's not the end of it. Because the diamond here, intrinsically it's worth another dazzling £15,000." He commended her for maintaining the original context of the jewellery: "And it was jolly fortunate you kept the original context of this and you were very careful to have done that." In closing, Munn shared: : "I'm going to sigh a breath of relief, because this is a very, very exciting moment indeed. You do have something that's at the centre of jewellery collecting at the moment. "People want this jewellery, this colourless art deco statement, more than you can ever imagine. "So I think if you were to put that diamond back in there, a value of £55,000 to £60,000 would be appropriate." The guest couldn't hide her reaction as she "ooh'd" at the staggering valuation and then chuckled, saying: "Yes. Ouch." Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Edinburgh Live
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Antiques Roadshow guest pulls a face as she believed ring worth a staggering fortune was ‘plastic'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow. An Antiques Roadshow laughed as the ring she thought was 'plastic', was actually worth a small fortune. Expert Geoffrey Munn was on hand at Eastbourne Bandstand during filming of another episode of the BBC daytime series. It was here he met a woman who presented a brooch, as well as two rings, one of which was part of the other piece of jewellery. The guest explained: 'It was left to my daughter by my mother-in-law and she's got very narrow, very small beautiful fingers and she couldn't wear that one. 'So we thought it's better to use it so she could wear it. We haven't damaged anything, we've just taken out very carefully and made it into a ring to fit her. 'And then I put that one [another jewel] in, just to have something. And I kept the original box.' (Image: BBC) 'They've both got very, very interesting histories, I think I want to deal with this one first,' Munn commented as he pointed to the green ring inside its matching green box. The owner commented: 'That belonged to my other daughter from my mother-in-law again.' When asked who purchased the ring, she said: 'I don't know. My mother-in-law was born and brought up in France, by Greek origin, and then she married my father-in-law in 1925 and she came to England. 'So they often went to Paris so it could have been my father-in-law or her father, I don't know.' The expert remarked: 'I think it probably dates from her time in Paris and she was clearly a very discriminating buyer, because Boucheron is one of the most famous firms in the world for making jewellery, in tandem with Cartier and Faberge. 'So it's the highest possible level of craftsmanship and here we see it. 'This is a plaque of jade isn't it, mounted in platinum, with a sort of stylised ribbon behind it in sapphires and diamonds. 'But this is superbly tight work, very meticulous, very shrill picture of perfection indeed. 'And the disc of jade, it actually anticipates the art deco period where there was a whiff of the Orient brought in to the rather geometric style. 'I suspect this is just a hint before that breaks out, maybe [in] 1920 this was made and then by 1925, 1927, things have got much more geometric and robust.' Munn then diverted his attention to the second ring which he said was a 'beautiful expression' of the art deco period. He said: 'It's made of rock crystal which is nothing to do with glass at all. And it's a stone and its lapidary work and it almost looks like a machine-made object.' The guest laughed: 'Yes it does, I thought it was plastic!', as Munn replied: 'Well it most definitely isn't, it's ice-cold, water white, rock crystal -', with her interjecting that it 'looks plastic' for a second time. He explained that it had been retailed by French jeweller Rene Boivin but was made by jeweller Suzanne Belperron who was a manufacturer of his. (Image: BBC) 'So you'd have a water white rock crystal art deco ring with a water white diamond in the middle, an older cut diamond, and it's a sort of essay in colourlessness, isn't it? And the return of light and scintillation,' Munn commented. 'Two stones, one valuable, one perhaps not valuable but decorative. 'And these are stunning evocations of Parisian glamour, aren't they? It's exactly what people want today and with want comes dizzy value.' Beginning his appraisal, Munn stated: 'I think for this Boucheron brooch here, made of actually tiny, tiny sapphires and diamonds and jade of no particular value, is nudging £18,000.' Upon hearing this extortionate figure, the guest was left speechless, pulling a face as she said: 'What? Ooh', looking around confused. He continued: 'But that's not the end of it. Because the diamond here, intrinsically it's worth another dazzling £15,000. 'And it was jolly fortunate you kept the original context of this and you were very careful to have done that. 'I'm going to sigh a breath of relief, because this is a very, very exciting moment indeed. You do have something that's at the centre of jewellery collecting at the moment. 'People want this jewellery, this colourless art deco statement, more than you can ever imagine. 'So I think if you were to put that diamond back in there, a value of £55,000 to £60,000 would be appropriate.' The guest once again pulled a face as she 'ooh'd' at the stunning figure before laughing: 'Yes. Ouch.' Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
