Editor’s Note
This article examines expert analysis of jewelry seized from Zapatero, highlighting the appraisal of high-carat sapphires and rubies and their possible Middle Eastern origins.
A jewelry and appraisal expert on Zapatero’s jewelry: ‘At first glance, there are many-carat sapphires and rubies’
The vintage jewelry expert and appraiser Wendy González Varona, from Havana Joyeros, believes that many of the pieces in the lot seized from Zapatero originate from the Middle East.
One of the necklaces found in Zapatero’s office
The jewelry, in images
Laura Pintos
Madrid
25/05/2026
Updated 27/05/2026 – 00:11h.
“To value and appraise jewelry, you have to see it, touch it, and analyze it thoroughly, but if Zapatero’s collection is what it appears to be from the photos, it is worth between four and five million euros.”
The luxury and vintage jewelry expert and professional appraiser Wendy González, from Havana Joyeros, also considers that
“there are some antique pieces, but I would venture to say that most are more modern and of Asian origin, I would think from Dubai or Doha.”
The professional, a member of the Spanish Association of Jewelry Appraisers (AETA), has agreed to thoroughly review the images of the lot found in a safe in the former president’s professional office to try to estimate the
“approximate value of the collection, provided the pieces are authentic and of the quality they appear to be.”
In this regard, she explained that
“the key lies in the size, origin, and exact color of the stones,”
and that in the material found,
“at first glance, there are many-carat sapphires and rubies, as well as diamonds and pearls, in which case the quality must be carefully examined.”
“For example, a ruby necklace that is part of the collection, if it is of the pigeon’s blood tone, the most sought-after in the world, could cost one million euros on its own,”
she assured.
“The pear-shaped blue necklace, if it is truly a royal blue sapphire, we are also talking about another million euros,”
she added.
The expert also believes that the jewelry originates from the Middle East, not America, due to its
“opulent” style,
with very large stones and much brilliance, although there are also rings, earrings, and some watches, whose brand she cannot make out in the photos to give a price, and
“vintage proposal bracelets.”
This type of jewelry
“does surprise me to see in the lot”
– she stated – and
“it is being used a lot, so they could also be worth quite a bit.”
González, who reiterated that
“I have to touch the jewelry and see it with a loupe,”
emphasized that
“if they are authentic, at auction right now this lot could fetch a very high price.”
What is worth the least, she specified,
“seems to be the watches and pearls, but the cuts of the stones could be extremely valuable.”
Regarding the diamonds, the gemologist detailed that
“they are valued for their purity, cut, size, and color, and those seen in the photos of the collection found on Zapatero are not small.”
“They are not in ‘pavé’ – tiny, set – but in prongs, larger,”
she specified.
Topics
Luxury
Jewelry
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
