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NY Post
New York Post
29 Aug 2023


NextImg:I bought a necklace at a thrift store for $2 — it’s worth $3,000

She may not have to be thrifty with her future purchases.

A woman was shocked to discover that the necklace she purchased at the thrift store for $2 was actually a $3,000 piece of lost art.

Jess Smith, 23, was shopping at her favorite thrift store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania earlier this summer and went straight for the necklace rack as she usually does.

While she was rummaging around, the young artist noticed a “very large neon and translucent necklace” in the mix that caught her eye, she explained in a now-viral TikTok.

Smith inspected the piece of jewelry and noticed a signature with the year 1973 inscribed on the corner but couldn’t make out what the scribbles spelled out.

She decided to purchase the necklace and paid $2 for her thrifted find.

Still intrigued by the odd piece, Smith used the reverse image search on Google Lens and eventually found the artist Aaronel deRoy Gruber, whose work looked very similar to the funky necklace.

Smith paid $2 for the funky colorful necklace before discovering that its worth $3,000.
Tiktok / The Happy Grave Digger Art

The stunned shopper contacted the Aaronel deRoy Gruber Foundation and quickly heard back from the team who invited her to bring the piece in and take a look at some of the other work.

The late artist focused on plexiglass pieces in the 60s and 70s and made several necklaces that were each one-of-a-kind.

When Smith met with the director of the foundation they were able to confirm that her necklace was in fact an authentic piece and valued the color jewelry at $3,000.

“When I saw this piece in the store I thought it would just be something interesting to wear but now I know it’s a historical art piece,” she said.

Although she could sell it, Smith chose to leave it on a special loan to the foundation to allow others to come and marvel at the unique piece.

“I don’t believe that I’ll ever sell it,” she admitted.

Smith and the Aaronel deRoy Gruber Foundation did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.