OH MY GOSH!!! Old gemstones found at my parents house...

[Dreamgirl]

So I was talking to my Mom on the phone and my Dad found a safety box in the ceiling of their laundry room. My parents opened it up and inside among other things are some very old jewelry pieces!!! At this time all I can remember is an old 14k gold ring with rubies and pearls from 1881!!!

Some other stuff with rubies and a ''supposed'' diamond!!!!!!!!!

I was cracking up because they were both pretty wound up about this box and I was trying to explain how to measure the ''supposed'' diamond and they weren''t understanding me haha!

I''ll have to see it for myself. She said its pretty big but to her...pretty big is not what I think is pretty big. I just don''t know if its all costume jewelry or the real thing!! They think it looks real but don''t know much about jewelry.

How awesome would it be if this diamond was real???!?!!!

Oh my gosh this is such exciting news to a stressful couple of weeks!

Oh, and just so you know....my parents bought this house 11 years ago. It used to belong to its original owners which was an elderly couple. He had passed away and she ended up in a nursing home and past away as well. They had no children.

 

[vespergirl]

Date: 3/13/2009 5:03:57 PM
Author:Dreamgirl
So I was talking to my Mom on the phone and my Dad found a safety box in the ceiling of their laundry room. My parents opened it up and inside among other things are some very old jewelry pieces!!! At this time all I can remember is an old 14k gold ring with rubies and pearls from 1881!!!

Some other stuff with rubies and a ''supposed'' diamond!!!!!!!!!

I was cracking up because they were both pretty wound up about this box and I was trying to explain how to measure the ''supposed'' diamond and they weren''t understanding me haha!

I''ll have to see it for myself. She said its pretty big but to her...pretty big is not what I think is pretty big. I just don''t know if its all costume jewelry or the real thing!! They think it looks real but don''t know much about jewelry.

How awesome would it be if this diamond was real???!?!!!

Oh my gosh this is such exciting news to a stressful couple of weeks!

Oh, and just so you know....my parents bought this house 11 years ago. It used to belong to its original owners which was an elderly couple. He had passed away and she ended up in a nursing home and past away as well. They had no children.

Wow, some people have all the luck!

 

[Ellen]

Oh how fun! I bet the couple hid them and she forgot about them.

Be sure to have an appraiser look at them to be sure!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Wow, that is amazing! (A little sad, too, though, that they had no kids to share this treasure with

)

I can''t wait for someone to check it out to see if it is all real! I''ll bet it is, since it was hidden so well!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/13/2009 5:09:06 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Wow, that is amazing! (A little sad, too, though, that they had no kids to share this treasure with

)

I can''t wait for someone to check it out to see if it is all real! I''ll bet it is, since it was hidden so well!

Yes, good possibility.

 

[Dreamgirl]

I know it! Plus 1881??? Are you kidding me??? That is SOOOOOOOO OLD! I''m sure this ruby ring belonged to her mother....possibly everything else too? Who knows. COME ON 5 o''clock!

And OBVIOUSLY I will take photos and share....

lol

 

[joflier]

That is super exciting!!!! I can't wait to hear an update! Were there any papers or notes with them? Was something marked 1881?

 

[Dreamgirl]

I DON'T KNOW!!!!!!!!!

lol!!! My parents were so excited about everything. (It was hilarous. Trying to explain the 'supposed' diamond to me...So funny..lol) There were also incredibly old coins. She did mention papers and different things but I don't know if any of it belongs to the jewelry. The ruby ring with pearls was marked 1881..

OH! I ALMOST FORGOT!!!!! She said there are 5 (I think) pocket watches too...

Oh, and did I mention my birthstone is a ruby?

 

[innerkitten]

What a find. So was it theirs or does it belong to someone else?

 

[tlh]

That is cool! When it is in your home... finders keepers!

 

[innerkitten]

get them to send you some pics so you can post them here.
BTW I just read the last part of you''re post so I see what happened. It was from the people that owned the house before. It is sort of sad but it''s also very exciting that it should fall into the hands of two people who''s daughter has an interest in jewelry.

 

[Circe]

How exciting! I do hope you''ll post pics.

P.S. - How do they know that the ring is from 1881?

 

[innerkitten]

The pearl and ruby ring is marked 1881 on the inside I think. Right?

 

[Dreamgirl]

They are saying it says 1881 inside the band along with something else, I can't remember what though. I'll certainly check it out and post photos after I take some! Good thing it's Friday....I'll have time to take pictures this weekend.

 

[innerkitten]

I''m pretty excited for you. When are you going to see it?

 

[Dreamgirl]

Date: 3/13/2009 5:29:21 PM
Author: tlh
That is cool! When it is in your home... finders keepers!

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!

It''s ours anyway because there is nobody to claim it...I just want to see this said diamond...lol

 

[Dreamgirl]

Date: 3/13/2009 5:35:44 PM
Author: innerkitten
I''m pretty excited for you. When are you going to see it?

I''ll be home around 5:30 my time. It''s going on 3:40 here now. Not too much longer!!! EEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! I certainlly hope it''s all real...

 

[ckrickett]

OOO you must post pics. Even if it''s old costume jewelry it still is fun.
Like finding a treasure chest!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Oh how fun, I hope you are home right now looking at everything

 

[innerkitten]

It''s likely real. Sounds like they hid them away for safe keeping. I guess the ruby could be synthetic , the pearls are probably real and natural ( maybe river pearls) . Because in 1881 I don''t think they had cultured pearls yet. At least not commercially. It could also be a garnet. I guess you''ll know more soon. Maybe it''ll be a mine cut diamond!! That would be so cool.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

How exciting!! I can''t wait to hear more!!

You know those families on Antique Roadshow who find some $50,000 painting or a a random cup that ends up being priceless? And they always say something along the lines "Well I found it in the attic"? That''s your family! I wish this kind of thing would happen to me!

 

[Clairitek]

I am so excited to see these pieces later! You are two hours behind me and I will be out when you get back so now I have something PS related to look forward to! Woo! I hope the stones are real!

 

[Kaleigh]

How exciting, I can''t wait for the pics!!!

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 3/13/2009 5:58:44 PM
Author: Kaleigh
How exciting, I can''t wait for the pics!!!

Yah me too!

 

[Dreamgirl]

Date: 3/13/2009 5:42:40 PM
Author: innerkitten
It''s likely real. Sounds like they hid them away for safe keeping. I guess the ruby could be synthetic , the pearls are probably real and natural ( maybe river pearls) . Because in 1881 I don''t think they had cultured pearls yet. At least not commercially. It could also be a garnet. I guess you''ll know more soon. Maybe it''ll be a mine cut diamond!! That would be so cool.

That would be SO cool!

 

[Porridge]

Wow! I can''t wait to hear how this turns out! The next time someone whines about the economy I''m going to tell them this story

 

[Dreamgirl]

Thanks everyone! I just had to share the excitement...even if it isn''t the real stuff. We will soon find out though! Just out of curiosity, how much does a jewelry appraisal cost? I''ve never done it before.

 

[Dreamgirl]

Date: 3/13/2009 5:50:27 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady
How exciting!! I can''t wait to hear more!!

You know those families on Antique Roadshow who find some $50,000 painting or a a random cup that ends up being priceless? And they always say something along the lines ''Well I found it in the attic''? That''s your family! I wish this kind of thing would happen to me!

Yeah, don''t I know it! haha! My parents love watching that show too. No wonder they got so excited. (too cute!)

 

[AGBF]

This is really exciting! My great-grandparents left us an entire house like that box...only with no jewelry in it. There were bottles of strange liquids from the 1800''s in the cellar, though. And balls of string. And toys from the 1930''s and 1940''s. And linens from the same time period. And a bag of cash in a radiator. And a World War II shell in the attic about which my cousin, who was living there while we cleaned out the house, decided he had better call the police. (He shouldn''t have. It turned out that my great-uncle had disarmed it after all and the police probably only kept it themselves. But it made the newspapers.)

At any rate, I wish I got to look through some jewelry! Have fun!

AGBF

 

[Dreamgirl]

Date: 3/13/2009 6:14:09 PM
Author: AGBF
This is really exciting! My great-grandparents left us an entire house like that box...only with no jewelry in it. There were bottles of strange liquids from the 1800's in the cellar, though. And balls of string. And toys from the 1930's and 1940's. And linens from the same time period. And a bag of cash in a radiator. And a World War II shell in the attic about which my cousin, who was living there while we cleaned out the house, decided he had better call the police. (He shouldn't have. It turned out that my great-uncle had disarmed it after all and the police probably only kept it themselves. But it made the newspapers.)

At any rate, I wish I got to look through some jewelry! Have fun!

AGBF

Oh goodness!! I bet it was still fun though!

I certainly will have fun! While FF is away.....Dreamgirl will play!

(He's currently out of town to visit his very ill grandmother and I've been missing him and thinking about her. This should increase my spirits!)