When Chesapeake Collectibles asked its appraisers to assess the collecting trends and challenges of 2025, the questions amounted to “What will sparkle this year?”
The most literal answer of course came from our jewelry expert, Selden Morgan, whose range of knowledge was explicitly dazzling. But we also felt enlightened, brightly, by the descriptions from Robert Harrison, our furniture and decorative arts guru, of famously colorful pottery design.
In Morgan’s universe, there’s a variety of facets to analyze, and we found all her insights to be gems (sorry, not sorry — it was an irresistible facets-gems double-pun opportunity). Here are the highlights from her, with an emphasis on things that are vintage and heirloom.
- “Your grandmother’s pearls are back in fashion; people are wearing pearls to accentuate every outfit. Baroque pearls, the misshapen ones, are offering a natural unique design to the classic strand of pearls.”
- “Gold is king! Not only is the color of gold in fashion but it can be worn day into the evening. The price of gold is high, so buying estate jewelry is the way to go.”
- “Diamond prices have steadily decreased the past few years given the increase in lab-grown diamonds. In the auction world, we’re seeing strong prices on vintage diamond rings. People can feel confident in the authenticity and history that come along with these pieces.”
- “Brooches are all the rage. Brooches allow the wearer the opportunity to show their personal passions and unique designs. It’s fascinating how they are being represented on the red carpet by men and women.”
For Harrison, design is also a watchword. “Prices for rare stoneware and redware have been trending upwards, with several world records set in 2024. For example, a circa 1821-1829 stoneware cooler with cobalt blue grouse design, made by Baltimore potter Henry Meyer, sold in Sparks, Maryland, for $120,000 last spring. That’s the highest price ever paid for a piece of Baltimore-made stoneware.”
Got that cobalt blue shining in your mind’s eye? Okay, put this mentally side by side: “We also saw a circa 1800-1850 Moravian redware turtle-shaped bottle with copper glaze, also with a Maryland provenance, sell locally for $48,000.”
And Harrison’s summary of the collecting provinces he explores can apply to the mass interest in a myriad of treasure-hunting categories: “Sales of these once utilitarian objects, now considered folk art, continue to rise as dedicated collectors scour sales for rare and desirable examples.”
Look for news soon about Chesapeake Collectibles’ season 13 taping weekend taking place later this year. In the meantime, series fans can catch replays of past episodes on Mondays at 7:30 pm on MPT-HD, or watch anytime on the free PBS app, and online at video.mpt.tv/show/chesapeake-collectibles/.
