A Faberge flower was valued at a staggering £1million (Image: BBC)
An army officer was gobsmacked after learning the value of a Faberge flower.
Colonel Stamford Cartwright appeared on in 2018 and was in for a shock when he handed over the stunning ornament to expert Geoffren Munn.
The Faberge flower, crafted in imperial , was made of enamel, gold, diamond and jade. The five-inch masterpiece, housed in a crystal vase, is one of only 80 pieces of its kind.
The precious item belongs to an army regiment and was presented by two soldiers during the show’s visit to Dudley.
It was then that Colonel Stamford learned the ornament was valued at a staggering £1 million, the most expensive item to ever appear on the programme at that point.
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The item belongs to an army regiment (Image: BBC)
Reflecting on the revelation of the object’s value, Colonel Cartwright shared that his squadron were “over the moon” upon hearing its worth.
“Because you grew up with it you tend to treat it as part of the future,” he elaborated. The regiment had got some huge silver pieces, which absolutely tower over this little thing.”
He further noted that the piece serves as a poignant reminder of their fallen comrades.
“It reminds them not only of the sacrifice of fallen comrades but also that there is a continuation,” he remarked. “It forms a bond for comrades right the way through from the 1900s.”
Jewellery expert Geoffrey Munn confessed his “pulse was racing” when he first laid eyes on the Faberge flower the year prior.
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Geoffrey Munn confessed his “pulse was racing” when he first saw the ornament (Image: BBC)
“To make a judgement of that enormity is a tricky thing to do so I’m not going to pretend it wasn’t pressurised,” he clarified. “This was a sensation beyond our wildest dreams really – this is a towering masterpiece from Faberge.”
The star continued: “It’s what we call an ‘object of fantasy’ because it has absolutely no function whatsoever except to be a source of pleasure.
“It is the rarest, most poetic manifestation of Faberge’s work that one could ever hope to see.”
Meanwhile, presenter Fiona Bruce said “word quickly got around that something very special had been brought in”.
“We weren’t disappointed,” she laughed. “It’s what we call an ‘object of fantasy’ because it has absolutely no function whatsoever except to be a source of pleasure.”