The owner of a rare 19th century necklace stashed for decades in her underwear draw was stunned after it fetched £36,000 at auction.
The unidentified woman says she was “astonished” when she was told how valuable the heirloom was.
She inherited it from on her 21st birthday and it had originally belonged to her grandmother’s cousin but had been stored away at her home in Truro, Cornwall, ever since.
Known as a harlequin riviere necklace, the piece had been made by leading Regent Street jeweller Rowlands & Frazer, in the 1860s or 1870s, and went under the hammer in London.
The owner said: “I was amazed when it fetched so much money. I had absolutely no idea it was as valuable as that. My husband listened to the auction online and it was very exciting.”