Antiques Roadshow: Expert values jewels
An Antiques Roadshow guest valued a "touching" item for thousands, despite admitting he didn't "care" as much.
Expert Geoffrey Munn revealed the value of a guest's church treasures, which were covered in jewels, while filming the BBC series at Pitzhanger Manor.
Stunned by the grandeur of the items presented, Munn exclaimed: "Well these are massive jewels, I hardly believe them. Where did they originate from?"
She disclosed: "They belong to the church where I'm a church warden at that was also TS Eliot's church when he was a church warden for many years."
Expanding on the purpose of the artifacts, known as morses, she said, "So it holds together a cope which is worn by senior clergy."
Munn noticed the first morse was adorned with a range of stones such as aquamarines, amethyst, and pearls, before turning attention to the second morse.
The guest recounted a poignant backstory, explaining it was donated "by a lady who was widowed", having been crafted as a tribute to her late husband.
Munn dissected the sentimentality stitched into the second morse, observing: "What she's doing here is giving us her own jewellery to the church and to the morse.
"Identifiable here is a very sweet diamond riviere necklace and then possibly his stick pin diamonds here and then her very nice brooch, turquoise and pearls from the 1900s.
"Then a bracelet clasp from the 1840s and what she's doing there is referencing the mediaeval Church Of England where there would be shrines bedizened with jewellery of this sort.
"So let's turn it over and find what is a very touching inscription and it says 'To the glory of God, in grateful and loving memory of a beloved husband Henry Stafford Gustard RIP.'"
The expert further explained the significance of the jewellery: "So what she's doing is giving something to the spectacle of the church.
"They're marvellous objects, they are intrinsically valuable, she was all too aware of I'm sure but much more than that, what these jewels are doing is referencing 15th Century Catholic England."
The valuation session took a humorous turn as Geoffrey Munn conjectured: "Slightly difficult to say what on earth these are worth and you don't care and I care rather less as well", only for the owner to quip: "I do care a bit actually."
Munn responded with a chuckle: "You care a bit! How marvellous", before giving his final assessment.
He estimated: "I'm going to say £7,000 for that one and then there is an intrinsic value here nudging £8,000 to £10,000.
"Thank you so much for bringing them, holy objects, sacred objects aren't they?"
She agreed: "Obviously we'll keep them and treasure them but thank you so much."
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
