A sapphire ring found wrapped in socks and stored in a carrier bag is expect to sell for thousands of pounds at auction.
Relatives and carers of Margaret Hood discovered the item following the death of Peggy, as she preferred to be known.
It was wrapped in socks in a bag hanging on a hook by the door of her home.
The sapphire and diamond piece is expected to sell for between £5,000 and £7,000 when it is sold by Fridley-based Richard Winterton Auctioneers on 27th March.
The ring was one of a number of items discovered following her death in October 2022, just a month after her 90th birthday.
Items going up for sale include sapphire and diamond earrings which are expected to fetch a similar price.
When she died in October 2022, just a month after her 90th birthday, the grandmother of four was affected by the onset of dementia.
Her daughter Sue Bird said:
“We didn’t know mum had got all this jewellery – she never told us and it was only by chance we found it all.
“We knew she had inherited some jewellery some decades previously from an old family friend but we had no idea as to the extent.
“She never showed me or my brother and we were gobsmacked when we started to discover all these boxes.
“When we became aware of the extent of things we started going through everything with a fine tooth comb.
“The sapphire ring was in an orange Sainsbury’s bag wrapped up in a big green rambling sock inside another bag and then wrapped in five pop socks.
“It was hanging on the wall by the door and we’d all been coming and going, completely oblivious that this stunning ring was literally hidden in plain sight.
“It was after discovering the ring we had to say ‘right, do not throw anything away’.”
Sue Bird
Sue added that her mum was “the biggest hoarder” and began to hide things around the house as her demential set in.
“We knew she had a safe having had a single glimpse inside many years ago but of course we didn’t know where the key was. We searched and searched and eventually found it concealed in the CD rack behind 300 CDs.
“When we finally opened the safe we found lots more treasures including the sapphire earrings as well as the empty box for the sapphire ring.
“There was one set of beads which we nearly threw away but the jewellery team at Richard Winterton Auctioneers told me they were butterscotch amber and they sold at £420.”
Sue Bird
“We had absolutely no idea”
Other finds included an Alabaster and Wilson sapphire and diamond brooch – sold at auction with Richard Winterton for £1,200 – and a gold and enamel sweetheart ring reading ‘Hope’ which made £900.
Sue added:
“We’ve now sold more than 30 lots with Richard Winterton Auctioneers and looking back we think the only thing we can remember mum wearing was the ring, perhaps once a year.
“To think all of these treasures have been hidden away for years and we had absolutely no idea.
“We could easily have thrown some of them away and never been any the wiser.
“It’s an amazing story, really.”
Sue Bird
