Jewellery finds – and auction results have shone brightly throughout lockdown and the dark days of the pandemic, writes Charles Hanson.
Hammer prices have remained consistently strong for both vintage and antique finds. Plus, gold prices are buoyant and silver sparkles in the saleroom. In uncertain economic times, investors prefer tangible assets – and collectors never tire of buying objects of beauty.
Consequently, it’s a good time to sell and, if you’re contemplating doing just that, jewellery consultant Kate Bliss will be offering free jewellery and silver valuations at our Derbyshire auction centre soon. Kate, a familiar face on TV’s Bargain Hunt, will be at Hansons, Heage Lane, Etwall, on Wednesday August 11, 10am-4pm – no appointment necessary.
Kate, a fellow of the Gemmological Association specialising in jewellery covering antique and vintage items to contemporary pieces, adores visiting the county. She will be hoping to unearth some shimmering stars, perhaps some fine diamonds.
Diamonds consistently excel at auction. As the old saying goes, ‘diamonds are forever’ and they’re certainly forever sought after. We’re privileged to see numerous examples in a wide variety of cuts, carats, clarity and colour – including cinnamon. Lot 95 in our July 1 Fine Art Auction was a cinnamon diamond 18ct gold cluster ring comprising a central brilliant-cut cinnamon diamond weighing 4.11 carats. It was contested to £3,800.
Though the classic white diamond is the one we all know best, coloured diamonds exist in many hues, tones and saturations. Known as fancy diamonds, they can be found in pink and yellow as well as the aforementioned cinnamon. The rarest diamond colour is red. Less than 30 true red diamonds are known to exist. They can cost $1 million (£720,000) per carat and most are less than half a carat in size.
Another shining star in our July sale was lot 144, an eye-catching tiara/necklace boasting a total diamond weight of 9.91 carats. This flexible item featured two central European-cut diamonds as well as smaller diamonds. It sold for £13,500.
Then there was lot 97, a diamond solitaire 18ct gold ring featuring a brilliant-cut 3.07 carats diamond. It reached £6,000. Diamonds, emerald and a ruby came to the fore in lot 133, a striking modernistic ring by Loris Abate, Milan, circa 1980. It sold for £3,000 and demonstrated the diversity of our jewellery sales.
Diamonds excel in our monthly antiques and collectors’ auctions too. In July, lot 266, an 18ct white gold diamond set collar necklace, sold for £1,300, and lot 216A, a diamond and platinum cluster ring, made £1,800.
You may not have any diamonds but one key thing to remember with jewellery is that the smallest item, even broken gold jewellery or a single ear-ring, has a value that may surprise you. Gold coins are achieving excellent results too.
Jewellery is also an area of the auction world where it’s easy to overlook something that’s precious. valuable items are sometimes mistaken for costume jewellery. That’s usually because people don’t believe they could be lucky enough to own something of high value.
Perhaps they inherited a collection from decades ago. They have no idea when or where the items were purchased and, in a mixed tangle of beads, brooches, rings and necklaces, imagine it’s just costume jewellery. But it’s not unusual to find jewellery boxes overflowing with a mixture of costume and precious items gathered over decades.
We have come across diamonds mistaken for costume jewellery. One ring we assessed, purchased for £5.50 from a charity shop’s ‘junk jewellery’ box, turned out to be a gold 2.30 carat diamond ring worth £7,000-£8,000.
Nothing delights our jewellery experts more than plucking a valuable item from a box of ‘costume’ jewellery – and then sharing the good news with a client. We often assess large private collections as well as single items, heirlooms and inheritance pieces. One of our biggest-selling lots ever was a diamond ring which sold for £95,000.
So, if you think you might be sitting on a windfall, now’s the time to find out. We sell jewellery, silver and watches in our monthly antiques and collector and Fine Art sales. And the variety is breath-taking. You’ll find everything from Victorian mourning jewellery and Edwardian necklaces to designer watches, charm bracelets and, of course, diamonds.
Kate Bliss will be at Hansons, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire, DE65 6LS, on August 11, 10am-4pm, no appointment necessary. Free jewellery valuations are also available every week with Hansons’ head of jewellery Helen Smith. To book an appointment with Helen, email: [email protected]. To book a general antiques or collectables valuation, email: [email protected].
