£1m Faberge flower makes Antiques Roadshow history as it gets only the third ever seven-figure valuation

Rare find: the Faberge flower is made from gold, diamond and jade
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Tom Powell30 March 2018
The Weekender

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A £1 million Faberge flower has made history after becoming one of the most expensive items ever valued on Antiques Roadshow.

Experts on the BBC show were stunned after the rare ornament was brought in by an Army reserve cavalry squadron – having previously been treated as “part of the furniture”.

The gold, diamond and jade flower is one of only three items to receive a seven-figure valuation in the show’s 40-year history. The others were an Angel of the North model and an FA Cup trophy.

The show's jewellery expert Geoffrey Munn said his "pulse was racing" at the sight of the precious object.

Col Stamford Cartwright (2nd left) and Antiques Roadshow jewellery expert Geoffrey Munn (right) with two soldiers
PA

"To make a judgment of that enormity is a tricky thing to do so I'm not going to pretend it wasn't pressurised," he said.

"This was a sensation beyond our wildest dreams really - this is a towering masterpiece from Faberge.

"It's what we call an 'object of fantasy' because it has absolutely no function whatsoever except to be a source of pleasure - and it is...

"It is the rarest, most poetic manifestation of Faberge's work that one could ever hope to see."

Jewellery expert Geoffrey Munn said the flower set his pulse racing
PA

Colonel Stamford Cartwright, who took the object in on behalf of the squadron, known as B (Staffs, Warwick and Worcs Yeo) Sqn The Royal Yeomanry, said they were "over the moon" to discover its value.

"Because you grew up with it you tend to treat it as part of the furniture. The regiment has got some huge silver pieces, which absolutely tower over this little thing," he said.

The ornament was gifted to the squadron, then known as the Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars, in 1904 by Georgina, Countess of Dudley, the wife of Lord Dudley, the second in command of the regiment.

Col Cartwright, the squadron honorary colonel, said the object was "a focal point for the members of the regiment and to the current serving soldiers".

"It reminds them not only of the sacrifice of fallen comrades but also that there is a continuation... It forms a bond for comrades right the way through from the 1900s," he said.

Presenter Bruce said "word quickly got around that something very special had been brought in", adding: "We weren't disappointed."

The object, owned in trust by the Worcestershire Yeomanry Charitable Trust, features on Antiques Roadshow at 8pm on BBC One on April 15.

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