Antiques Roadshow guest stunned as expert reveals message hidden in brooch gifted by husband – and connection to royalty

A GUEST on Antiques Roadshow was left stunned as an expert revealed a hidden message in a brooch gifted by her husband.

Jewellery specialist Geoffrey Munn was equally shocked to discover that the stunning piece had a strange connection to royalty.

The woman had brought the small brooch to be valued by Geoffrey, 68 – who was left lost for words thanks to its connection to Tsar Nicholas II.

Asking the owner of the jewellery piece how she got her hands on it, she explained it had been a gift from her husband.

“That’s very good isn’t it, because jewellery-buying husbands are almost an extinct species,” Geoffrey joked as he inspected it.

“This is a most beautifully chosen one, and I think it’s got a very interesting subliminal message, which is only secondary to what I’m going to tell you next, actually.”

He went on to explain that the brooch signified being “forever stuck in love” with a horse shoe element to represent luck.

The diamonds were meant to represent the “forever” element, alongside a little spring of mistletoe which never loses its leaves.

But the best news was yet to come for the female guest, as Geoffrey explained that the brooch was actually made by Carl Fabergé.

“It’s astounding really, because I had a look on the back of it earlier and there’s a series of hallmarks, and they’re significant to what I’m going to tell you next,” he added.

“Well this is a sequence of hallmarks, they not only tell me that this brooch was made in Russia in 1900 but there’s also a hallmark there that tells me that this is made by the most famous goldsmith that ever lived.”

After taking a moment for a dramatic pause, Geoffrey spilled the beans: “This is a brooch by Carl Fabergé.

“And it says 56 because there are 56 parts of pure gold and it’s made for the immediate circle of the emperor and empress of Russia.”

Explaining that the Tsar of Russia was a frequent shopper from Fabergé, he detailed the unlikely link to Tsar Nicholas II.

“They bought exactly this sort of thing to give away and in this case, it’s made of gold and decorated in this very interesting orange-coloured enamel and diamonds,” Geoffrey went on.

“And it’s a sentimental thing, and it did that job for somebody, perhaps in the circle of Nicholas and Alexandra, but it did that job for you as well, didn’t it?”

“Amazing really. Can’t believe it’s happened – I can’t believe it’s happened to me, it’s a wonderful voyage of discovery.”

Finally, the expert revealed the possible price for the jewel, explaining that it could fetch as much as £10,000 at auction.

“I can’t see any reason why this wouldn’t fetch that, actually,” he concluded. “You have a gem of a jewel, but a gem of a husband as well.”

Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC iPlayer