Woman goes viral after finding out $2 thrift store necklace is worth $3,000

A woman went viral on TikTok after discovering that the $2 necklace she bought from a thrift store is actually worth $3,000.

In a viral clip with 398,000 views, Jess Smith explained that she was shopping at her favorite thrift store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when she went straight to the necklace rack as she usually does.

While looking around, the TikToker found a “very large neon and translucent” pendant necklace, that many viewers thought looked similar to a Tide Pod. Jess also noticed a signature with the year 1973 inscribed on the piece, but she wasn’t sure what the scribbles spelled out.

After buying the $2 necklace, she reverse-searched a picture of it on Google, and much to her surprise, found that it was actually a rare piece of lost art. It was created by the late Pittsburgh artist Aaronel deRoy Gruber, a sculptor who was famous for her 3D plexiglass pieces.

Jess would later reach out to the Aaronel deRoy Gruber Foundation, whose team invited her to bring the necklace in and take a look at some of the artist’s other work. 

When she met with the director of the foundation, they were able to confirm that her necklace was in fact an authentic piece and was worth between $2,800 and $3,200. 

Upon discovering this, Jess said she “sent in on a special loan to the foundation for them to display,” as she “didn’t get this to sell it.”

“When I saw this piece in the store I thought it would just be something interesting to wear,” the TikToker said in her video. “But now I know it’s a historical art piece, I don’t believe that I’ll ever sell it.”

This is just the latest thrift store moment to go viral on TikTok after a woman found an urn full of a pet’s ashes at her local Goodwill.