Fellows and Sons | Established 1876

Biggest jewellery auction of the year with hammer price hitting £1 million

Jewellery

Thursday 8th November saw us hold our biggest jewellery auction of the year with many pieces selling in the tens of thousands.  November’s Antique & Modern Jewellery auction was extremely well attended on Thursday with people travelling from around the world to visit the Birmingham saleroom to view and take part in the auction. Some interested parties came from as far as South Africa and Asia, as well as Europe.

Important diamond jewellery

We sold our most expensive pair of earrings to date when the pear-shape diamond drops, weighing 3.98 and 3.15cts respectively, sold for a hammer price of £64,000 (£81,664 incl. fees).

The star lot of the auction however was a large single-stone diamond ring, weighing in at over 13cts. The emerald-cut diamond sold for £310,500 shortly followed by an impressive diamond fringe necklace sold for £177,160.

The emerald-cut diamond came in at 13.86cts, with tapered baguette-cut diamond sides and was accompanied by a report from the Gemological Institute Of America, stating H colour, VS2 clarity.

There were 14 telephone bids, in multiple languages, for the ring of 13.86cts, and the bidding war lasted over 5 minutes. Interest was also strong from the room and commission bids. Bids flew across the saleroom and were met with applause when the ring eventually sold to a bidder in the room for a whopping hammer price of £255,000.

Numerous items from Graff sold for incredible amounts. A pair of diamond cufflinks by Graff sold for £24,244 and two pairs of diamond dress studs sold for £25,520 per pair.

Stephen Whittaker, Managing Director, said: “This auction shows us, without a shadow of a doubt, that people are willing to bid on, and buy, high-value pieces when they have sensible estimates. The interest, both at home and abroad, in the auction demonstrates that Birmingham is a hub for fine jewellery, both in our auctions and in the Jewellery Quarter as a whole. We are delighted to have been able to sell this magnificent private collection amongst many over hugely desirable items in the sale.”  

For more information or additional images please contact Liam Bolland on 0121 212 5500, or email liam@fellows.co.uk

NB: All hammer prices are correct at time of publication; however, they can be subject to change. Price Realised is hammer price plus buyer’s premium, any applicable fees and taxes.