A one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry found at a thrift shop sent TikTok into a frenzy.
Jessa Pena, a 25-year-old antique jewelry dealer based in Houston, Texas, said she discovered an almost 200-year-old 18-karat portrait bracelet at a thrift store run by a Catholic Church and a charitable organization in her state.
Pena told Newsweek that although she had run into other incredible gems at thrift shops in the past, she said it was very rare to discover an antique that managed to survive all those years and still be in great condition.
"It is an 18-karat beautifully enameled portrait bracelet with oval shield links and scalloped details, and in the harlequin style with multiple jewels,” Pena told the magazine. “This bracelet is likely late Georgian to early Victorian, circa 1835, made of 18-karat gold, with the name of the Swiss canton on the back of the shields.”
She continued, “These bracelets were made to celebrate the garb and heritage of the regions of Switzerland; 18-karat and above in heavy quantities is rare to find in older jewelry, as usually someone would have been sold it along the way, so I was especially thrilled at the rarity.”
Pena’s TikTok of the bracelet went viral late last month, generating over 1.5 million views on the video sharing app.
The woman estimates that the piece, which is adorned with topaz, pearl, ruby, and gold, is worth between $12,000 to $25,000. The thrift store where Pena found the bracelet had it priced at $5,000.
Although she didn’t buy the bracelet, a friend inspired by her TikTok video did, and plans to get it appraised and keep it in her collection for some time.
“Since we are in the same city, and apparently have the same haunts, she sent me a photo saying what a weird coincidence it was. It didn't click with her until I told her that it was the same bracelet. I had left it as I knew that I would likely resell it,” said Pena.
“She thought it was enough of a sign from the universe, and decided to get it, which I am so glad about,” she added. “It's going to a person with a beautiful collection and to a person with an appreciation for antique pieces.”
Despite the hype over the bracelet online, not every single person who ran into Pena’s video was convinced the piece was authentic.
“I had some people saying it's fake, a dupe, gold-plated, and getting mad at me for not getting it,” she said.
“I think people were confused by the pieces not being exactly alike in my video. In antique jewelry, nearly everything is handmade, sketched by other artists, and had a team of people working on it, so not every piece will look the same,” she clarified.
“This bracelet weighs more and has more detailed work, and, in my opinion, would be worth as much as the one online.”