She struck gold.
A Texas woman redefined “hidden gem” after discovering a 190-year-old bracelet at a thrift store worth a whopping $25,000.
She detailed her bling ring find in a video with over 1.4 million views on TikTok.
“I was especially thrilled at the rarity,” Jessa Pena told Newsweek of the trinket, which she happened across while thrifting at a charity organization.
Pena — who is an antique jewelry dealer — frequently trawls for thrift stores for goodies, but says she never expected to find the aforementioned bracelet, which she claimed dates back to the “late Georgian to early Victorian, circa 1835.”
Clocking in at 18 karats, the gold jewelry piece reportedly sports an “enameled portrait bracelet with oval shield links and scalloped details”
If that wasn’t opulent enough, the bracelet also contained multiple jewels characteristic of the “harlequin style,” while the shields are emblazoned with the name of the relevant Swiss canton (an administrative division that is similar to a US state).
“These bracelets were made to celebrate the garb and heritage of the regions of Switzerland,” Pena explained. “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.”
While the thrift store had priced the ritzy wrist accessory at $5,000, the antiques guru claims it can go for between $12,000 to $26,400.
Despite the eye-popping value, Pena didn’t purchase the bracelet. However, her video inspired a Houston-based friend and antique enthusiast to go thrifting, whereupon the pal serendipitously encountered the bejeweled bauble as well.
“She thought it was enough of a sign from the universe, and decided to get it, which I am so glad about,” gushed Pena, who said her friend will get it appraised and add it to their collection.
TikTok commenters were awestruck that the Houstonian struck gold at a secondhand store.
“Go get it and immediately go to Sotheby’s,” advised one fan, while another lamented, “Nothing interesting happens when I go thrifting.”
Meanwhile, some skeptics even suspected it was a fake, claiming the online listing she showed to illustrate its potential price wasn’t the same as her bracelet.
“I think people were confused by the pieces not being exactly alike in my video,” said Pena. “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 added, “This bracelet weighs more and has more detailed work, and, in my opinion, would be worth as much as the one online.”
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