Household ornament turns out to be Faberge treasure worth £1m

A Faberge flower valued at £1 million on Antiques Roadshow despite being treated as “part of the furniture” features in the next instalment of the BBC One show.

News of the ornament, brought in by an army reserve cavalry squadron, emerged last year.

Viewers will see the gold, diamond and jade object in the first episode of the new series, hosted by Fiona Bruce, next month. The Faberge flower joins an Angel of the North model and an FA Cup trophy as one of only three items to be valued at the figure in the show’s 40-year history.

The show’s jewellery expert Geoffrey Munn has described how his “pulse was racing” at the sight of the precious object.

And he said that putting such a high value on it was not without its stresses.

“To make a judgment of that enormity is a tricky thing to do so I’m not going to pretend it wasn’t pressurised,” he said. “This was a sensation beyond our wildest dreams really – this is a towering masterpiece from Faberge.

Colonel Stamford Cartwright, who took the object in on behalf of the squadron, known as B (Staffs, Warwick and Worcs Yeo) Sqn The Royal Yeomanry, said they were “over the Moon”.

“Because you grew up with it you tend to treat it as part of the furniture,” he said.