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Privacy NoticeAntiques Roadshow and jewellery expert Joanna Hardy has been on our screens for more than 15 years. Hailing from London, Joanna values precious and sentimental items that often prove to be worth a lot of money. Boasting a lavish career spanning more than three and a half decades in the glittering world of gems, Joanna is an independent expert in fine jewellery. Joanna even got her TV break after she contacted the BBC series to see if they wanted “a jewellery specialist who rides motorbikes”. Now aged 62, Joanna Hardy tends to keep her personal life private and rarely discusses her family life, but the TV expert once shared how she met her husband while travelling across Australia. But what else do we know about the life of the Antiques Roadshow expert? We looked into the early life and career of Joanna Hardy, her big TV break and the quirky way she met her husband.
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Joanna Hardy’s early life and career
Joanna Hardy has appeared on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow for more than 15 years
(Image: BBC)
Born in London on November 9, 1961, she attended public school Bedales School and Sir John Cass College where she trained to be a goldsmith. She juggled a sales role at Hatton Garden whilst moonlighting at a burger joint on weekends to make ends meet. From there, Joanna ascended through the ranks and became a master of rough diamonds at De Beers, a polished diamond dealer in Antwerp and joined Philips the Auctioneers in London. Joanna Hardy, with her extensive experience and knowledge in jewellery, transitioned to Sotheby’s where she served as their senior jewellery specialist and auctioneer for fourteen years. Since 2009, she has been working independently. Joanna is a prolific lecturer and writer, contributing articles to publications worldwide. She’s also an accomplished author with her books, ‘Collect Contemporary Jewellery’, ‘Emerald’, ‘Ruby’, ‘Sapphire’ and has contributed to ‘Graff’ and ‘Cartier Panthere. In addition to this, Joanna curates contemporary jewellery exhibitions and recently launched her Online Fine Jewellery School. She holds the titles of Fellow of the Gemmological Association, Fellow of Royal Society of Arts, a Liveryman and Court Assistant of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. How did Joanna Hardy first appear on Antiques Roadshow?
Joanna Hardy husband: Who is the Antiques Roadshow expert married to?
(Image: (Image: BBC))
While working at auctioneers Sotheby’s, Joanna Hardy approached the BBC series to see if they wanted “a jewellery specialist who rides motorbikes”. She told the New York Times: “I started on Roadshow in 2007. I ride Harley-Davidsons and other big motorbikes and sent a picture of me wearing leathers and pearls to the editor and asked if he was interested in a jewellery specialist who rides motorbikes. Joanna Hardy joined Antiques Roadshow in 2007 and is now a regular expert on the BBC show. As one of the team members on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, Joanna travels the country with her colleagues in search of fascinating jewels with a story that she can expand upon. Sharing her excitement on social media at another series of Antiques Roadshow, she said on social media: “The start of a new series! Number 47 would you believe and my 18th year filming the BBC Antiques Roadshow. The calm before the storm!! “Today we are at Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery in Ealing, the once country home of Sir John Soane… can’t wait to see what I uncover today”. What is Joanna Hardy’s favourite find?
While working on Antiques Roadshow in 2016, Joanna was presented with a Lawrence Wheaton tourmaline ring.
(Image: BBC)
While working on the BBC series in 2016, Joanna was presented with a Lawrence Wheaton tourmaline ring. A special episode saw the show’s expert host embark on a hunt to find out more about the unusual ring from the 1970s which had no mark from the designer. The maker was a man named Lawrence Wheaton (born in 1944), trained with the Swedish Royal Court Jewellers. “Which is pretty amazing,” confirmed Joanna. Lawrence has since passed away, but his wife was able to confirm he was the maker and the ring was marked with official stamps to show off its new status. The value of the ring was said to be worth £6,000 to £8,000. The TV expert told the New York Times: “One of my favourite finds was a Lawrence Wheaton tourmaline ring in 2016. I was able to find out who made it and eventually had the piece hallmarked with his initials. “Mr. Wheaton was remembered, and the pleasure and pride his family got from seeing the follow-up episode of the ring being hallmarked was very special. A goldsmith’s being remembered and not forgotten is so important. “Also very moving was an emerald and diamond ring that had been worn by a survivor of the Titanic as she was rescued from the sinking ship.” Who is Antiques Roadshow expert Joanna Hardy married to?
Joanna Hardy has over 35 years of experience in the jewellery industry
(Image: (Image: BBC))
Joanna Hardy is currently married to Australian husband Craig who is thought to be in his late 50s. They live together with their fox red Labrador named Merlot in London. They have two children Scott, 26, and Chloe, 24. Joanna previously mentioned they met while she was travelling from Sydney to Cape York in Australia. At the time, Craig was working as a park ranger, and Joanna was part of the Girl Guides, as reported by Action Pack Travel. She revealed that during the 1990s, she travelled around Australia in a two-wheel drive Chevy truck with three men, one of whom would later become her husband. The TV expert recalled: “We would tie – ended up being my husband but at the time it was just a mate – and he would be tying red string on the trees because when you would come back on the waterways you’d get completely lost because it would look very different on your return. “So we would follow our red ribbons on the way back so that we could find our truck.” She later opened up about another hair-raising incident involving a storm where she had to raise an alarm for Craig and his friends who were stranded. “I just thought, oh my goodness, I was stuck on Punsand Bay on my own in this truck. So I drove off to the nearest Aboriginal outpost and raised an alarm that there were three young men in a rubber ducky bobbing about somewhere in the Torres Strait in a storm. So in the morning, they did send out search parties and they did actually find them. “They managed to just get to the corner of Thursday Island in the mangrove swamps, which was full of crocodiles… They had to keep a fire going to to ward off all the crocodiles. “On their return to the beach, that’s when Craig and I ran towards each other and embraced. Anyway, he’s now my husband, so there’s that.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnAntiques Roadshow
