Antiques Roadshow expert brutally shuts down | TV Shows

An Antiques Roadshow participant was in for a surprise when expert Sarah Churgin revealed the true story behind a “beautiful” family treasure.

On the PBS show, a guest brought forward an amethyst necklace that once belonged to famed socialite Lillie Langtry, according to family lore.

The owner shared her story: “I have an amethyst necklace that was my husband’s great-grandmother’s.

“I inherited it last year from my mother-in-law when she died. All we know is that she bought it at auction in 1929 in Atlantic City and it was the year that Lillie Langtry died and it’s supposed to have been one of her necklaces.

“She loved amethyst, because we have an amethyst letter opener, amethyst rings, she was really excited about amethyst which I read Lillie Langtry also was.”

“Their affair spanned three years until Langtry became pregnant by another man. Interestingly, Edward VII not only bought her a house in Bournemouth but also covered her confinement expenses in Paris,” Churgin added.

“She ended up with property in California and she died in Monaco in 19129.”

During the appraisal, Churgin hinted that the necklace might not be all it seemed.

She elaborated: “And here in June in 1929, Harold A Brand has an auction that includes her jewellery from which your husband’s great-grandmother purchased this necklace. So we have to ask ourselves, how does a royal piece, a piece of royal provenance, end up in New Jersey?”.

“I take a look at what paperwork is represented, because provenance is very important, but I have a couple of questions here.One of the questions is, why is this royal piece remounted?”

“In the description, the original yellow gold mounting that Edward gave for this amethyst which is a beautiful amethyst but he gave her this amethyst in a yellow gold mounting, has been remounted. And the mounting is very contemporary to the late 1920s, it’s platinum, the spring ring is white gold and all of these things are hallmarks of the 1920s. The stone itself is very, very beautiful but it really outshines the quality of the rest of the mounting.”

Churgin continued, noting that it was a “really good amethyst” but the cut suggested a more recent origin.

“So we ask ourselves, who is Harold A Brand, let’s check this out”, Churgin proposed.

“And unfortunately, we find in 1949 that Harold A Brand is brought up on multiple conspiracy charges, for conspiracy of fraud.”

The guest was taken aback and exclaimed, “Oh my goodness!”, clearly surprised by the necklace’s actual backstory.

“So we have our doubts. But what we do have here is a really nice amethyst necklace from the art deco period.

“King Edward gave jewellery to his lovers and to his wife by famous makers, but this piece does not have any maker marks on it.

“The mounting is platinum, the spring ring clasp is 14 carat white gold, which puts it right at the end of the 1920s, at the earliest.”

Churgin then noted that the case that came in was of “fairly commercial quality” for that era.

In a light-hearted retort, the guest quipped: “So the case is not fancy enough either!”.

Wrapping up, Churgin stated: “Had it been given by Edward VII to Lillie Langtry, it would be one thing but nonetheless, a fair auction value would be $3,000 to $4,000.

“If it had royal provenance, we can double that price.”

Overwhelmed by the unexpected appraisal, the guest simply smiled and nodded, with no further comments.