Rings worth £70,000 almost went to a charity shop.
£70K rings nearly dontaed to charity
A woman was about to donate a four carat diamond Cartier ring and a blue sapphire band that belonged to her mother-in-law, before getting the expert opinion of auctioneer Gareth Wasp, who gave the items a thorough inspection.
Gareth, 35, told Metro.co.uk: ''If I hadn't had been on the ball that day the rings would have ended up in the charity shop for someone lucky enough to find them.
''I noticed the Cartier box straight away. 'But that doesn't always mean there is going to be a Cartier ring inside.
''I looked everywhere for the Cartier signature on the ring because it is normally on the inside, but this was in fact signed on the outside, which is really rare.
''Then I had a look at this great big diamond in front of me. 'Meanwhile, the lady, who seemed like she didn't have the best of relationships with her mother-in-law, kept saying she was really keen to get rid of it.
''She kept repeatedly emphasising to me to get rid of it and give it to charity - thinking they weren't worth anything.
''I just had to say 'I think this is something that needs a little bit more research.'''
Gareth had the rings valued again and they ended up being worth between £15,000 and £20,000 each.