It’s amazing what you can find at the thrift store — especially when you know what to look out for, like this jewelry historian who spotted a priceless bracelet for sale! A woman named Jessa shared some footage of her unexpected discovery on social media. After doing a little research, she was able to confirm that the vintage piece she’d found was actually from the 19th century. Not only that, but it was worth over $25,000!
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In her video, Jessa provided a close-up of the thrift store bracelet in question. It was fairly bulky and ornate, made up of small portraits encased in bejeweled frames. Although it might not be to everyone’s taste, this jewelry historian knew there was something special about it. Sure enough, she found a listing online for an almost identical bracelet, which was labeled as a “Swiss Enamel Cantons Bracelet, circa 1835.”
On the back of each portrait in the thrift store bracelet, there was a name written in a tiny plaque. These weren’t the names of people, though. Each inscription was the name of a different state (or, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, canton) in Switzerland. A listing for a similar bracelet on 1stDibs, an online marketplace for fine antiques, explained the item in more detail. Apparently, every portrait in the piece is meant to personify one of the cantons.
“An antique, Swiss Cantons bracelet, with the Cantons represented by portraits of ladies in national costume, in painted enamel; set with rubies, turquoise, hessonite garnet, amethyst, aquamarine, rock crystal and peridot; mounted in gold,” reads the description.
You might be surprised by what Jessa did next…
Although Jessa knew this bracelet was a once-in-a-lifetime thrift store find, she admitted in her caption that she didn’t actually purchase the item. Social media users flocked to the comments section, saying that she should return to the shop! One person pointed out that it was pretty risky to share footage of the thrift store bracelet online without buying it first.
“You posted before you went back to get it?!?!?” they wrote. “Brave.”
Jessa hasn’t shared an update as to whether or not she was able to purchase the bracelet in the end. We hope she did!
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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