The highlight of the sale was the 19th century diamond, emerald and ruby set locket which was gifted by Queen Victoria to Lady Victoria Scott in 1865 which was sold for £19,000 to a buyer from China. Also amongst the jewellery section, a Victorian necklace made up of 31 old European cut diamonds sold for £14,000, against an estimate of £6,000 to £8,000 to a UK-based bidder. Another lot which saw furious competition was an Art Deco aquamarine and diamond brooch saw bidding from ten phonelines as well as a series of commission bids, finally selling for £3,400, against an estimate of £500 - £700 to a European buyer. Other highlights include a large carved double-hinged oval locket which was offered in its original case and sold for £9,500 and an Edwardian diamond set tiara/necklace which sold for the same amount. Amongst the more modern jewellery, and the most expensive item of the day, was an 8.50ct diamond single stone ring which made £26,000 and went to a UK collector.
Steven Collins, Head of Jewellery, Silver and Watches at Cheffins said: “The November auction was highly successful with a 95 per cent sale rate and strong bidding across all sections. The fact that people could not attend in person did not put off buyers who made good use of online, telephone and commission bidding opportunities. The trade is clearly hungry for stock whilst private buyers were also out in force Christmas shopping ensuring that a number of lots sold for well in excess of their estimates. It is obvious that vintage jewellery of good quality remains incredibly sought after, with all of these items exceeding all expectations.”
In the watch section, the highlight was a late Victorian 18 carat gold half hunter pocket watch by famous English horologist, Charles Frodsham which dates back to 1900. This was sold for £3,200 against an estimate of £1,500 - £2,500 to UK dealer. Also available was a highly collectable 1964 gentleman’s Breitling ‘Navitimer’ wristwratch which made £1,900 against an estimate of £800 - £1,200. Other collectable items also made strong prices, for example a George III 18ct gold snuff box by Alexander J Strachan sold for £5,000 to a private UK buyer. Similarly, a gold $500 Cook Islands coin in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Concorde made £5,800, as did a gold proof commemorative coin for ‘The last scheduled flight of Concorde’ from 2003. These also were sold to private UK collector.
There was also a selection of high value silverware on offer. A 19th century German silver novelty table ornament modelled as a hare by B. Neresheimer & Sohne, Hanau, with Chester import marks, which stands at over 33cm tall was popular, selling for £4,400 against an estimate of £1,500 - £2,500. Similarly, a pair of early George III silver cast candlesticks by Ebenezer Coker, dating back to 1760, made £1,300.
Auction: ‘Carats and Clarets’ – The Jewellery, Silver and Watches Sale
5th November