Diamond In The Rough

How about this for money well spent?  Back in the 1980s, a woman bought what she thought was a piece of costume jewellery for £10 in a car boot sale.  Believing the cushion shaped stone in the ring was not a gemstone as it did not sparkle and was set in a ‘filthy’ mount, the owner simply enjoyed the piece and wore it every day for several decades.  It was only after the ring was taken to Sotheby’s and a jeweller for valuation that the woman found out the “exceptionally-sized” stone was in fact a 26 carat diamond which is thought to date back to the 19th century.  As for value, Sotheby’s estimated it would fetch £350,000 at auction but that was clearly on the conservative side as it sold for almost twice that at £656,750.  Jessica Wyndham, the head of the auction house’s London jewellery department, said “The owner would wear it out shopping, wear it day-to-day.  It’s a good-looking ring.  No-one had any idea it had any intrinsic value at all. They enjoyed it all this time.”  Sounds like the owner got more than her ten pounds’ worth.