A shopper was left stunned after finding a diamond Cartier lapel pin in the thrift store for just $5.
Reddit user u/UrbanRelicHunter made the incredible discovery when he visited a local thrift store on November 8. As he wandered around the store and sifted through all the second-hand items, he couldn’t believe what he saw among all the costume jewelry.
The 27-year-old, from the East Coast, managed to find what appears to be a platinum, diamond and sapphire Cartier lapel pin. UrbanRelicHunter told Newsweek that, as soon as he spotted the luxury accessory, he “knew [he] was buying it.”
What made the discovery even better was that the lapel pin cost just $5–a fraction of what its original owner would have paid. The pin was in a box with several other stick pins, but this was “the only one” that seemed to stand out.
“It caught my eye because most of the items in the bin of costume jewelry were dull or tarnished, so this piece really popped out,” UrbanRelicHunter said. “I’m not sure of the original sale price, but from what I have been able to find based on the marks, it was most likely made in the 1930s to 1950s.”
After thrifting such a treasured piece, UrbanRelicHunter couldn’t resist sharing pictures of the lapel pin on Reddit. In the days since he shared the photos of his find on November 11, the Reddit post has gone viral with over 20,000 votes and more than 250 comments at the time of writing.
The images manage to show how timeless the lapel pin is and just how well the diamonds have held up over the years. The Reddit user loves traveling all over the country to see what he can find hidden away in thrift stores, and there’s no doubt this has become one of his most valued finds.
Of course, UrbanRelicHunter doesn’t keep everything he thrifts. While he sells some of his finds on, he prefers to keep his best finds for himself. Needless to say, this lapel pin isn’t going anywhere.
After buying the pin, UrbanRelicHunter took it to an estate jeweler who believed it to be real. The jeweler suggested it looks like an antique Cartier piece and could be worth up to $300 if sold.
“This one is staying in my collection, for a while at least,” he told Newsweek. “I just like posting the cool stuff I find and I’m really glad people enjoyed seeing my post.”
Since the post went viral, hundreds of Reddit users took to the comments to hail this incredible find.
Among the 250 responses, one comment reads: “It’s beautiful! Great find.”
Another Reddit user wrote: “Great idea to keep. It’s beautiful.”
Another person replied: “Wow!! What a find!”
While one commenter added: “Only wanted to say this is gorgeous. What a great find. Stunning piece.”
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