It’s a controversy that has been brewing on the Web for several hours! In Deal done this Wednesday, October 25, 2023, Julia Vignali received Yvonne, a 73-year-old retiree from Gironde who came to present a magnificent set: a choker and a bracelet which she had bought for 8 euros, and which were actually from a prestigious Danish house, with a hallmark from the goldsmith Georg Jensen known internationally for his high quality silver jewelry and decorative accessories. During the expertise, Harold Hessel, rave, revealed to Yvonne that this goldsmith was “the most famous Danish goldsmith in the world” : “He started his business in 1904, and it is one of the largest Danish silversmiths.” assured the auctioneer, before revealing that this silver ornament had been made by Ibe Dahlquist, one of the greatest modernized Swedish goldsmiths.
So much good news which allowed Harold Hessel to propose a masterful expertise to Yvonne: €3,000 ! But in the auction room, everything did not go as planned… The five buyers of the day, Sébastien Delcampe, Diane Châtelet, Caroline Margeridon, Stéphane Vanhandenhoven and François Cases Bardina, completely ignored these two Danish and Swedish goldsmiths. The bids had a hard time climbing, and quickly stopped at €580… Disappointed, Yvonne was forced to tell the buyers that her set had been valued at five times more by Harold… But the buyers did not go very high. Eventually, Diane Châtelet agreed to go up to €1,200. Yvonne had to face a tough choice: accept this offer, almost three times less than the valuation, or make a “unfinished business”. But Yvonne finally agreed to sell off her silver set for €1,200…
“Don’t even be ashamed to scam this woman!”
A choice that many viewers criticized. On , who knew these two goldsmiths perfectly: “What crooks”, “I am beside myself”, “The madame has been thoroughly defeated, and Diane who acts ignorant even though she knows very well what it’s worth is a shame”, “If Harold knows, it’s because the French know. Not even ashamed to scam this woman”, “It’s shameful, crooks!” are so many criticisms from a long, non-exhaustive list… It remains to be seen whether Diane Châtelet will react to this lively controversy, and if she will take an additional step towards Yvonne.