Cheffins jewellery, silver and watches sale on 25th April saw £1/2 million in sales with 97% of lots sold in a packed auction room with strong bidding across the board.
A collection of almost 300 jewellery lots saw competitive bidding, with pearl items selling especially well, and vintage jewels attracting strong interest. One of the top lots sold was a natural saltwater pearl necklace (lot 292) which sold for £22,000, significantly above its estimate of £12,000-£16,000. A Victorian pearl and enamel serpent necklace (lot 190) went under the hammer to a private buyer for £4,200 - double its pre-sale estimate. Jewellery by 20th century designer Charles de Temple also sold well, with a cultured pearl and diamond 'Wrapped' necklace from 1978 achieving £13,000 (lot 288) and the matching bracelet, together with a single earring (lot 289), selling for £4,200.
A Victorian pearl and enamel serpent necklace
Fay Roach, Jewellery specialist at Cheffins, comments: “Serpents are very popular - people love their symbolism, so we expected this necklace to sell well. Pearls are a timeless classic, and natural saltwater pearls are so rare and desirable, hence achieving a high sales price. Charles de Temple is a renowned stylish and creative jeweller, so his pearls are also highly attractive to buyers looking for this elegant style – the fact that they are from the 1970s also added to their appeal – this era is very on trend at the moment.”
A number of jewels from the 1970s attracted strong bidding. These included several pieces by Kutchinsky; an 18ct gold flower brooch, together with a pair of matching ear studs (lot 163), which went under the hammer for £2,400 – double its estimate, an 18ct gold onyx ring which sold for £2,000 (lot 174) as well as a late 20th century sapphire and diamond brooch which achieved £1,900 (lot 238). Meanwhile an 18ct gold mabé pearl and diamond set ring by designer John Donald (lot 278) went under the hammer for £3,600, significantly above its £600.00-£800 estimate.
An 18ct gold onyx ring by Kutchinsky
The silver section also saw an array of successful bids; highlights included a large and impressive William IV silver salver weighing over 6kg and presented in a wooden travelling case which sold for £10,000 against an estimate of £7000 - £9000 (lot 595), and an Edward VIII silver goblet by Omar Ramsden achieved £2,000 against an estimate of £600-£800 (lot 657).
A William IV silver salver which sold for £10,000
In the watches section, 146 out of 149 lots were sold. Highlights included a steel limited edition Omega 'Speedmaster Apollo/Soyuz 35th Anniversary' chronograph wristwatch (lot 444) which sold for £9,000 against an estimate of £2,000-£4,000 and a steel limited edition Omega 'Speedmaster Mark II Co-Axial Rio 2016' wristwatch (lot 449) which achieved £1,900 against an estimate of £700-£900.
A limited edition Omega 'Speedmaster Apollo/Soyuz 35th Anniversary' chronograph wristwatch
An 18ct gold pocket watch by renowned watchmaker Charles Frodsham (lot 354), presented by Sir Victor Horsley (1857-1916) as an act of bravery following an accident at sea in the Orkney Islands, went under the hammer for £2,400. Awarded to Robert Sinclair for his brave rescue effort which saved the life of Horsley’s son, the pocket watch is now on its way to Rousay Heritage Centre in the Orkney Islands, where it will be put on public display.
An 18ct gold Charles Frodsham pocket watch, presented by Sir Victor Horsley (1857-1916) as an act of bravery
Steven Collins, Head of Jewellery, Silver and Watches at Cheffins, comments: “The watch market is extremely buoyant at the moment, and we saw huge interest with bidding from all over the world.
"We were thrilled to have such fabulous offerings in each of the departments and the prices achieved were very strong indeed.”