Thrift stores have become a popular destination for people looking to find name-brand products or iconic designer clothes at a great price, especially since people started showcasing their finds online. Some have even come across lost ancient artifacts that could fetch a fortune. Although finding a real diamond while searching for hidden treasures among secondhand products sounds like a dream, for one woman it became a reality at a garage sale. It all started when a woman went to a car boot sale in the late 1980s where bangles caught her eye from a box of costume jewelry and she bought the whole box of bangles.
There was also a gorgeous cocktail ring that the woman thought was costume jewelry and paid $10.92 for. But decades later, it was discovered that the 26.2-carat diamond on that ring was worth $382,383.29 in 2017. It wasn’t until she was cleaning a room and going through her things that the gigantic diamond ring fell down and the woman noticed that it shone differently than a costume ring. She took it to a local jeweler who realized it was too valuable to estimate the price, and the owner eventually went to Sotheby’s.
The diamond had a color grade of I and a clarity grade of VVS2. After it was confirmed to be a diamond, its story went viral as the “tenner diamond.” The owner unexpectedly earned $717,338 at the auction, a sum that changed her life. She called it “a true story from Only Fools and Horses,” in reference to a British sitcom that aired between 1981 and 1991.
Experts then decided to find out how such an expensive ring had ended up at a flea market. “With an old style cut, an antique cushion shape, the light doesn’t reflect as much as a modern stone cut. The cutters worked more with the natural shape of the crystal to get as much weight as possible rather than making it as brilliant as possible,” explained Jessica Wyndham, sales manager for jewelry in Europe. However, she told The Guardian: “They’ve been to quite a few flea markets over the years. But they have no history as antique collectors and they have no history as diamond collectors. This is a one-off stroke of luck, an amazing find.” The woman pointed out: “The older stones have quite a lot of personality. They sparkle in a different way.”
She even went so far as to tell the outlet that it was “serendipity” that prompted the owner to buy the ring. “A 26 carat cushion-shaped diamond, no matter how dirty or dark the setting was, maybe that stone still speaks to people. They also bought some designer dresses for about £10. We should all have been at the car sale!” the head of jewelry sales in Europe told BBC. The woman told On Demand News that you inevitably have to question the value of something you get for such a low price.
