£5,000 gems found in a chair bought for £5
A COUPLE who bought a dusty old chair for a fiver were astonished to find diamond jewellery worth £5,000 hidden inside it.
Angela Milner-Brown, 50, and husband Angus, 47, picked up the chair at an auction 10 years ago but kept it in their attic as they could not afford to have it re-upholstered.
It was only when Angus finally took it down to have it restored that the hidden gems were discovered.
He initially kept the find secret from his wife and presented her with some of the items as gifts on special occasions.
The story emerged when the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow rolled into New Lanark, Scotland, last week and the couple, from nearby Biggar, took the chair and jewellery along.
Angela said: “We bought the chair years ago. It was in fairly bad condition.
“We couldn’t afford to have it re-upholstered so my husband put it in the attic and it ended up staying there for about six years.”
She added: “My husband was taking off cushioning and found the jewellery. He is very romantic so he decided to keep the items secret and surprise me over the next few celebratory occasions. “He surprised me with a diamond ring for our wedding anniversary. “The following Valentine’s Day, he gave me a pair of diamond earrings and then a diamond broach at Easter. “They must have been hidden inside the chair by previous owners. We just couldn’t believe it. “The jewellery and chair were worth £5,000 together.” Angela and Angus have decided to keep the chair and jewellery rather than sell them.