Jewellery has long been the glittering diamond in Hansons’ crown and right now we’re casting our net far and wide across Derbyshire to find gems that could make their owner’s day, writes Charles Hanson.
Jewellery is hugely sought after and can fetch impressive figures at auction and yet many people leave forgotten items languishing in drawers or on dressing tables. Other people are forced to keep expensive items permanently locked away in bank vaults.
One lady I know found a gold bracelet under her bed while she was cleaning. Left to her years before by a relative, she’d completely forgotten about it. She was astonished when it sold for more than £400. A nice reward for getting the vacuum out.
It’s so important to get items valued and I do my utmost to make it easy for people to get free and expert advice. For example, TV’s Kate Bliss will be at out Etwall saleroom on Thursday (Aug 2), 10am-4pm, offering free jewellery, watch and silver valuations. Plus, every Tuesday eminent UK expert David Byrne is with us from 9.30am-4.30pm and on Fridays you can see Hansons’ head of jewellery Helen Smith from 10am-4pm.
We hold jewellery auctions every month and extra special finds go into our Fine Art jewellery auctions, the next one being on September 27. So what sort of things sell well?
Well, our recent Summer Fine Arts Jewellery auction gained success with everything from antiquity rings to Victorian, Edwardian and contemporary lots.
A favourite lot among an important collection of antiquity rings, including Roman, Greek and Viking, was lot 20, a Greek Hellenistic 4th-1st century BC gold ring set with square, round and tear shaped garnets. The skill and craftsmanship demonstrated from such an early date was astonishing to behold. This item had been in the ground for thousands of years. It sold for £3,600.
Another gold ring which ignited interest was lot 29, a rather risky ring, Roman in origin from the 2nd-3rd century AD. It included a carnelian intaglio depicting ancient Greek goddess of love Aphrodite with a rather rude subject matter. It was a hit with avid collectors of this period as it sold above estimate for £2,200
Hat pins and Oriental themes also proved successful. We had a stunning array of hat pins from a large private collection, with a myriad of styles from makers including Charles Horner. The highlight, lot 70, two Japanese large Satsuma hat pins, soared to £1,000.
Lot 123 was a stunning Art Nouveau enamel, gold and amethyst pendant, which made £220 while lot 140, an alluring Edwardian opal and diamond pendant brooch, was contested to £2,300.
Top quality makes are ultra-desirable, such as lot 76, a Cartier Panther ring crafted from 18ct gold, emerald and onyx, which sold for £2,200. Also popular was lot 177, a gent’s Cartier 18ct gold Tank Americaine chronograph wristwatch which made £2,500.
So, if you have any glittering jewels or watches gathering dust at home, come and see us.As well as David Byrne on Tuesdays and Kate Bliss on Thursday (Aug 2), head of jewellery Helen Smith will be at Derby’s Pickford’s House, Friar Gate, on Wednesday (Aug 1) from 10am-noon.Home visits and valuation roadshow events can be arranged. Entries invited for our Autumn Fine Art Jewellery Auction until September 7. To find out more, email [email protected] or call 01283 733988.Jewellery has long been the glittering diamond in Hansons’ crown and right now we’re casting our net far and wide across Derbyshire to find gems that could make their owner’s day.
Jewellery is hugely sought after and can fetch impressive figures at auction and yet many people leave forgotten items languishing in drawers or on dressing tables. Other people are forced to keep expensive items permanently locked away in bank vaults.
One lady I know found a gold bracelet under her bed while she was cleaning. Left to her years before by a relative, she’d completely forgotten about it. She was astonished when it sold for more than £400. A nice reward for getting the vacuum out.
It’s so important to get items valued and I do my utmost to make it easy for people to get free and expert advice. For example, TV’s Kate Bliss will be at out Etwall saleroom on Thursday (Aug 2), 10am-4pm, offering free jewellery, watch and silver valuations. Plus, every Tuesday eminent UK expert David Byrne is with us from 9.30am-4.30pm and on Fridays you can see Hansons’ head of jewellery Helen Smith from 10am-4pm.
We hold jewellery auctions every month and extra special finds go into our Fine Art jewellery auctions, the next one being on September 27. So what sort of things sell well?
Well, our recent Summer Fine Arts Jewellery auction gained success with everything from antiquity rings to Victorian, Edwardian and contemporary lots.
A favourite lot among an important collection of antiquity rings, including Roman, Greek and Viking, was lot 20, a Greek Hellenistic 4th-1st century BC gold ring set with square, round and tear shaped garnets. The skill and craftsmanship demonstrated from such an early date was astonishing to behold. This item had been in the ground for thousands of years. It sold for £3,600.
Another gold ring which ignited interest was lot 29, a rather risky ring, Roman in origin from the 2nd-3rd century AD. It included a carnelian intaglio depicting ancient Greek goddess of love Aphrodite with a rather rude subject matter. It was a hit with avid collectors of this period as it sold above estimate for £2,200
Hat pins and Oriental themes also proved successful. We had a stunning array of hat pins from a large private collection, with a myriad of styles from makers including Charles Horner. The highlight, lot 70, two Japanese large Satsuma hat pins, soared to £1,000.
Lot 123 was a stunning Art Nouveau enamel, gold and amethyst pendant, which made £220 while lot 140, an alluring Edwardian opal and diamond pendant brooch, was contested to £2,300.
Top quality makes are ultra-desirable, such as lot 76, a Cartier Panther ring crafted from 18ct gold, emerald and onyx, which sold for £2,200. Also popular was lot 177, a gent’s Cartier 18ct gold Tank Americaine chronograph wristwatch which made £2,500.
So, if you have any glittering jewels or watches gathering dust at home, come and see us.As well as David Byrne on Tuesdays and Kate Bliss on Thursday (Aug 2), head of jewellery Helen Smith will be at Derby’s Pickford’s House, Friar Gate, on Wednesday (Aug 1) from 10am-noon.Home visits and valuation roadshow events can be arranged. Entries invited for our Autumn Fine Art Jewellery Auction until September 7. To find out more, email [email protected] or call 01283 733988.
