She struck gold.
A Texas woman redefined “hidden gem” after discovering a 190-year-old bracelet at a thrift store worth $25,000.
She detailed finding her ring in a video with over 1.4 million views on TikTok.
“I was particularly excited by the rarity,” Jessa Pena told Newsweek of the trinket, which she happened upon while thrifting at a charity.
Pena, who is an antique jewelry dealer, often fishes thrift stores for goodies, but says she never expected to find the aforementioned bracelet, which she claims dates from “late Georgian to in the early Victorian one, circa 1835”.
Weighing in at 18 carats, the gold jewelery is said to feature an “enameled portrait bracelet with oval shield links and sculpted details”.
If that wasn’t opulent enough, the bracelet also features numerous characteristic “harlequin-style” jewels, while the shields are emblazoned with the name of the respective Swiss canton (an administrative division that is similar to a US state). .
“These bracelets are made to celebrate the clothing and heritage of Switzerland’s regions,” explained Pena. “18 carats and above in heavy quantities is rare to find in vintage jewelry, as usually someone would have sold it along the way.”
While the thrift store had valued the wrist accessory at $5,000, the antiques guru claims it could fetch anywhere from $12,000 to $26,400.
Despite its apparent value, Pena did not buy the bracelet. However, her video inspired a friend and Houston-based antiques enthusiast to go thrift, where the friend strangely came across the ornate tassel as well.
“She thought it was enough of a sign from the universe and decided to get it, which I’m very happy about,” said Pena, who said her friend will appreciate it and add it to their collection.
TikTok commenters were amazed that the Houstonian struck gold at a thrift store.
“Go get it and go straight to Sotheby’s,” advised one fan, while another complained: “Nothing interesting happens when I go thrifting.”
Meanwhile, some skeptics even suspected it was a fake, claiming that the online listing she showed to illustrate its potential price was not the same as her bracelet.
“I think people were confused by the fact that the parts weren’t exactly the same in my video,” Pena said. “In antique jewelry, almost everything is handmade, sketched by other artists, and there was a team of people working on it, so not every piece will look the same.”
She added: “This bracelet weighs more and has more detailed work and, in my opinion, would be worth as much as the one online.”
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Image Source : nypost.com
