Christie’s specialist Francesca Valentini was in Lisbon on Wednesday and Thursday conducting free evaluations of pieces of jewellery that members of the public thought might be valuable.
Any real finds saw the owner being given the option of putting them up for sale at a Christie’s auction in London.
Mafalda Coutinho, an agent for Christie’s in Portugal, said this country often unearths “jewellery from the end of the 19th century, rings, emeralds, and sets that were given at weddings, with bracelets, necklaces and earrings.”
Less common but also found in Portugal is “signed French jewellery.”
Portuguese expert José Batista, president of the Portuguese Gemmological Institute (IGP), said he believes the majority of Portuguese have no notion of the real value of the jewels they have at home.
José Batista says that since 2008 “many important pieces that should be on display” have been melted, in part due to the onset of the financial crisis, which left many families with no option but to divest themselves of heirlooms in exchange for cash.