Antiques Roadshow guests in disbelief at staggering price of ballerina brooch

Antiques Roadshow: Expert values war medals

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow. 

Antiques Roadshow viewers were left gobsmacked as a mother and daughter discovered the staggering value of their ballerina brooch.

In an unforgettable moment from the BBC series, expert Joanna Hardy examined a stunning ballerina brooch at Beaumaris Castle in North Wales, brought in by a mother-daughter pair.

Hardy speculated that the exquisite piece might be the work of the legendary French jewellers Van Cleef & Arpels, but its exact provenance eluded her.

In a clip from the original valuation, Hardy expressed her astonishment: "It can't be 'true', is it 'true'? This is made with turquoise, rubies, 18 carat gold and diamonds. It's a fabulous jewel.

"It has all the properties, all the wonderful skills of a company called Van Cleef And Arpels.

"They made ballerina brooches from the 1940s but not that many.

"I cannot find the signature of Van Cleef and Arpels. I want to find one, I can assure you.

"If it is right, it is tens and tens of thousands of pounds.

The daughter could only utter a shocked "Gosh" while her mother was more sceptical, remarking "can't be".

Following the episode, Hardy reached out to a Parisian archivist and took the brooch for a closer look.

She later reconvened with the owners to uncover the truth about their precious heirloom.

Antiques Roadshow guest gasps as ballerina brooch value unveiled after expert's trip to Paris (Image: BBC)

Antiques Roadshow expert Joanna Hardy valued a ballerina brooch for a whopping £50,000. (Image: BBC)

Hardy revealed: "This lovely ballerina has been on quite a journey since I last saw you.

"As you know, I went to Paris with this tucked in my handbag. I met Catherine Cariou who was the former heritage director for Van Cleef and Arpels for 20 years.

"She is the woman that knows nearly everything and I sort of leant forward and she said: 'It's better than the image you sent me.' That's a good start.

"Then she picked it up and she turned it around and she looked with her eye glass and she just kept looking.

"She said to me: 'It's the right weight, it's the right size, it's the right quality' and she said there was a workshop in Cannes called Lucien Billie."

"Lucien Billie was the workshop that made these turquoise ballerina brooches for Van Cleef.

"And so she said: 'this was made by Lucien Billie."

Hardy continued to explain that those at the workshop were occasionally given permission to create pieces for "special occasions" as long as they didn't sell them.

And so Lucien Billie would have crafted this specific brooch for "either his wife or his daughter for a wedding gift or something special."

Keen to uncover its origins, the mother asked if it was "in fact genuine".

To this, Hardy clarified: "It is not a Van Cleef and Arpels brooch, because it is not signed and it hasn't got its number."

Antiques Roadshow expert Joanna Hardy took a ballerina brooch to Paris for further inspection. (Image: BBC) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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"But it has been made by the same workshop that made those brooches for Van Cleef and Arpels."

"For me, I just love the fact that this probably is completely unique.

"Because I don't think he would have been allowed to make more than one and it would have had to have been a very special occasion.

Unfortunately, Hardy was unable to provide further details on the brooch's origins as he explained, "hardly any records of his workshop" exist, indicating a mysterious 20-year gap in its known history.

Nevertheless, Hardy shared his valuation with enthusiasm: "I asked Catherine how much this would be worth at auction and we think it would generate quite a bit of interest.

"For an item like this, you're looking at an auction estimate between £40,000 to £50,000."

The owner's daughter could hardly believe her ears, responding with an astonished gasp. Her mum chimed in incredulously: "You never."

Visibly stunned, the daughter exclaimed: "Good heavens. Wow. I mean, that's a real shock".

She also reflected on the brooch's unique status, saying: "That makes it even more special I think, knowing it's a one-off piece that was made for somebody very, very important.

"We wouldn't have those connections or be able to find out that information. Thank you."

Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.