She might not need to make future purchases on a budget.
A woman was astonished to learn that the necklace she had paid $2 for at the thrift shop was actually a $3,000 lost art piece.
Earlier last summer, Jess Smith, 23, was shopping at her preferred thrift store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and she naturally headed straight for the necklace rack.
The young artist was looking through the collection when she spotted a “very large neon and translucent necklace” that caught her eye, as she said in a now-viral TikTok.
When Smith examined the ring, he saw a signature and the year 1973 written in the corner, but he was unable to decipher what the scribbles said.
She made the decision to buy the necklace and paid $2 for her vintage treasure.
Smith continued to be captivated by the unusual piece and eventually used Google Lens’ reverse image search to locate the artist Aaronel deRoy Gruber, whose creations resembled the weird necklace quite a bit.
When the shocked customer called the Aaronel deRoy Gruber Foundation, the staff promptly responded and asked her to bring the piece in and view some of the other artwork.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the late artist specialized in plexiglass works and created various necklaces, each of which was unique.
When Smith visited with the foundation’s director, they were able to certify that her necklace was an actual piece of jewelry and placed a price tag of $3,000 on the colored jewelry.
“When I first saw this piece in the store, I thought it would just be something interesting to wear, but now that I know it’s a historical art piece,” she added.
Smith had the option of selling it, but she choose to leave it on a special loan to the foundation so that others might view the extraordinary sculpture.
She acknowledged, “I don’t think I’ll ever sell it.
A request for comment from The Post was not immediately answered by Smith or the Aaronel deRoy Gruber Foundation.
