Advanced Search
Browse Upcoming Auctions
View Recent Auction Results
Contact a Department
Tag Archives: online
Penelope Gilliver, Cataloguer from the Jewellery Department at Fellows, has been researching tanzanite ahead of Fellows’ auction of Gemstones, which ends on Friday 29th May.
Sourced from only one location, the Merelani Hills of Tanzania, tanzanite in its finest form is a highly sought-after precious gem, with a luxurious range of hues, rivalling the beauty of similarly coloured stones, such as sapphire. With strong pleochroism, meaning the gemstone can show different colours when viewed at different directions in the crystal, it can be cut to show rich blue-purple hues, or more delicate violet hues; the scope of colours is fantastic. The pleochroism is usually visible to the unaided eye, and is a fascinating and pleasing feature to see in this gemstone.
Tanzanite is relatively new in the world of gemstones, only being discovered in 1967. The luxury jeweller Tiffany & Co gave this gemstone its name, and realising its potential for desirability, launched its popularity in 1968 with a publicity campaign. Due to tanzanite being available from just one country, this produced an instant element of rarity to the gemstone, so you can feel certain you have a valuable and special stone in your life.
An example of tanzanite gems from Fellows’ May 2020 auction of Gemstones
Tanzanite is a popular gemstone to be used in jewellery. Whether it be the rich and vivid colours, or the soft and elegant violet hues of this gemstone, it is a beautiful stone to have as a part of your jewellery or loose gem collections. With a hardness of 6 to 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness, tanzanite has a fairly good durability, and is stable enough to be used in jewellery; it is always advised to be cautious and avoid wearing your tanzanite when handling cleaning chemicals, or conducting activities in which your jewellery can be knocked and scratched. All you need to use to clean your tanzanite is some soapy water, this is sufficient enough to keep them looking sparkling and bright.
“Some specimens, like any other in the commercial gemstone world, are given a helping hand with their colour, to produce the more desirable blue and violet hues. You don’t need to be disheartened by this fact, these basic treatments just mean you can see the full potential of the beautiful colours that are possible from these gemstones!”Penelope Gilliver, from Fellows’ Jewellery Department
A stunning tanzanite gem from the May 2020 Gemstones sale
Some facts about tanzanite:
- Typically forms as a prismatic crystal
- A tanzanite crystal will have striations on some crystal faces
- Naturally found as violet-blue and purple hues
- Zoisite is the gemstone family tanzanite belongs to
- A selection of gemstones tanzanite could be confused with are iolite, sapphire, blue spinel
- Named by Tiffany & Co
- Indication of heat treatment would be if there are only two pleochroic colours, blue and violet
- Tanzania is the home of Tanzanite
- Examples that are large in size are more rare
Emerald takes its name from the Latin word ‘Smaragdus’ meaning ‘Green Gem.’ Emerald is the green variety of the Beryl family, the trace element chromium being present in the deposit is what gives Emeralds their very distinct vivid green hues. The highest quality Emeralds are notably from Colombia, Zambia and Brazil, however the gem is found all over the world.
An 18ct gold emerald and brilliant-cut diamond three-stone ring in Fellows’ 14th May Jewellery Sale
One of the earliest mentions of Emerald mines is in Egypt at Mount Smaragdus from around 1500BC onwards, these mines produced the gems that were favoured by Cleopatra who adorned herself and her palaces with Emeralds. Emeralds were discovered in South America in the 16th Century by the Spanish, after over 500 years of use by the Inca’s, the Spanish traded their Emeralds for precious metals across Europe and Asia.
It was said that Emeralds were placed upon early gem stone cutters benches to sooth their eyes after intense eye strain and concentration to restore their vision.Emeralds have been attributed to the richest green landscapes, including the Emerald Isle of Ireland and Seattle known as the Emerald City of Washington State USA. Emerald is traditionally gifted on a 55th anniversary, to represent eternity and commitment.
Emma Testill, Jewellery Catalogue Manager at Fellows Auctioneers
One of the largest un cut Emeralds in the world is the Colombian ‘Duke of Devonshire Emerald,’ weighing 1,383.93 carats, gifted from Emperor Pedro I of Brazil to William Cavendish in 1831. After being displayed at the Great Exhibition of 1851, this famous Emerald now resides at The Natural History Museum London. There is an assortment of Emerald pieces in all of our May jewellery sales.
Posted in All, Jewellery
Tagged Birthstone, dukedevonshire, emerald, Jewellery, jewelleryauction, may, monthly, online
Comments Off on May Birthstone: Emerald
Lindsay Beardmore, Specialist & Catalogue Manager from Fellows Auctioneers, has been putting together Fellows’ Jewellery auctions. Lindsay has chosen some of her favourite items to go under the hammer over the Spring period.
Spring 2020 has brought us the usual things, flowers have started to bloom and the days have grown longer, however alongside the spring time normality, for the first time ever the staff at Fellows have had to work remotely. Overall it has been a challenge, from putting auctions together remotely, hosting zoom meetings and for the first time ever hosting an auction from the managing director’s family home!
Luckily for us, we have had some fantastic lots to offer our customers, and the hammer prices they’ve achieved have proved this! So I have therefore had the pleasure of selecting a few spring highlights that have gone under the hammer this Spring!
Jewellery Sale on 26th March:
Lot 2 – Burmese ruby and old-cut diamond ring, £350-450.
The unique aspect of this ring is not only the striking colour of the 2.80cts ruby but the fact that it is entirely natural with no indications of heat treatment! This piece was also accompanied with a GCS report! Naturally this piece sold for a hammer price of £750!
Lot 7 – A Belle Époque 18ct gold rose-cut diamond necklace. Estimate: £400-600.
During the early 20th century, the Belle Époque was a design movement that embraced nature. This gorgeous necklace showcases this delicate movement perfectly, whilst being beautifully set with rose-cut diamonds. This pretty piece achieved a hammer price of £620.
Lot 173 – A late 19th century circular-shape ruby and old-cut diamond horseshoe brooch. Estimate: £300-400.
More recently brooches are catching the attention of bidders and are becoming more popular at auction. During the 19th century, people were believing more and more in superstitions, so horseshoes were worn or gifted to protect the wearer from evil and to symbolise good luck. The hammer price for this lucky lot was £540. The bidder should ensure the horse shoe is worn upwards, to avoid all the good luck pouring out!
Jewellery Sale on 16th April:
Lot 11 -A Georgian gold turquoise fob watch. Estimate: £200-300.
This fabulous ornate pocket watch was in a particularly good condition considering the age of the piece. The fob watch earned a well-deserved hammer price of £500!
Lot 13 – A composite late 19th century gold and platinum natural saltwater pearl and old-cut diamond pendant, suspended from an integral fancy-link chain. Estimate: £300-400.
Many of the pearls that we come across on our desks tend to be cultured, this is the norm throughout the jewellery trade. This particular piece is set with a natural saltwater pearl, a fascinating piece to handle, so it makes sense that it achieved a respectable of hammer price of £560!
Lot 136 – A late 19th century gold and silver gem set butterfly brooch. Estimate: £350-450.
During the 19th century, symbolism was the trend for all pieces of jewellery. Butterflies were worn to represent embracing change, rather than fearing it. A brave bidder won this pretty piece for £750!
The above lots are just a small selection of jewellery we have had the pleasure of selling this spring, whilst working remotely!
We currently have our online jewellery sale live on the website at the moment, so please head over to our online catalogue and see if you can find your perfect springtime purchase!
Posted in All, Jewellery
Tagged Fellows, highlights, Jewellery, jewellerysales, lockdown, online, spring, timed
Comments Off on Springtime Highlights
A cross pendant designed by the Vicar of Dibley herself, Dawn French, will be auctioned at Fellows Auctioneers. The 18ct gold ‘Heera’ diamond cross pendant was created in conjunction with the National Osteoporosis Society (NOS). With an estimate of £500 – £700, the elegant piece of jewellery features as Lot 377 in Fellows Jewellery Sale. The auction ends on Thursday 16th April.
The ‘Heera’ cut diamond was one of three new cuts created and patented at the beginning of the 21st century by Emdico. A Heera diamond consists of 49-facets and is a modified round brilliant cut. This means that the diamond reflects light in a unique way. As part of an initiative known as the ‘Dazzler Campaign’, celebrities such as Dawn French designed jewellery using these cuts to raise funds for the NOS. This National Osteoporosis Society is dedicated to improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. Years later the stunning pendant has come up for auction at the independent, family-run business in Birmingham.
The cross pendant designed by Dawn French
The gold cross pendant is suspended from a chain, and has an estimated total diamond weight of 0.25cts. With H-I colour and SI clarity, it has 2002 Hallmarks for London. Weighing 7.7gms, the length of the pendant is 3.5cms and the length of chain 43cms. It features in Fellows’ Jewellery auction, one of a series of timed auctions which will be run by Fellows Auctioneers in the coming months. This style of auction has become increasingly popular at Fellows as it makes the bidding process easily accessible to customers taking part in the auction from home.
Nicola Whittaker, Business Development Manager at Fellows Auctioneers, who consigned the pendant, said: “It’s fascinating consigning pieces to our auctions that were designed by celebrities as it adds something extra to the story behind them. This piece is particularly intriguing because the cut of the diamond is so unique and rare. It’s the perfect representation of beautiful jewellery that we continue to offer in our timed, online-only auctions and bids can be placed on the pendant now. I’m sure due to its history that the pendant won’t be short of interest.”
Fellows Auctioneers currently have auctions of Watches (ending 20th April), and Jewellery (ending 16th April), online via their website.
I am writing to inform you of current measures we have undertaken in light of the government’s advice. Our offices are closed and our staff will be working remotely for the foreseeable future. We have taken this decision with the protection of our staff and our customers in mind. Customers are still able to receive free valuations easily from our specialists by clicking this link. It has never been easier to bid on our auctions in the internet age. Bids can be easily placed on our upcoming sales, including our Jewellery sale on Thursday 26th March and our timed sales via our website. There is no surcharge for bidding live with our own platform, Fellows Live.
Due to new government guidelines, our Jewellery auction on Thursday 26th March will now be taking place behind closed doors. Bids can still be placed via our website. You can participate in the auction with commission bids, live bidding via Fellows Live or with telephone bids. We are still offering free shipping for items bought in this auction (subject to terms). Rest assured, this year we have seen huge numbers of bidders online for our auctions, and we anticipate our strong start to 2020 to continue through the coming months.
There are many additional images for each lot on our website and full condition reports are provided as standard for each lot. You can contact us on the details listed below to for additional information. We have also launched a new live chat system via our website, where our specialists be available to you during office hours.
I wish all of our customers good health during this time.
Yours sincerely,
Stephen Whittaker
19 Augusta Street, Birmingham, B18 6JA, +44 (0) 121 212 2131
info@fellows.co.uk
Fellows’ Online Jewellery sale had a 90% sell rate despite the current climate with covid-19 impacting the way the world operates. The timed auction, which ended on Thursday 19th March, had over 450 registrants, with the majority of items sold soaring above their estimates. Fellows Auctioneers has altered its auction schedule to continue the company’s promising start to 2020. The independent, family-run business has opted to move all of its sales from April – July to timed, online auctions.
Many beautiful pieces of jewellery in the Online Jewellery sale on Thursday 19th saw multiple bids and were in high-demand. The first five lots in the auction had a total of 69 bids which set a precedent for the remainder of the sale. The auction had a total low estimate of around £90,000, and ended with a total hammer price exceeding £110,000. Outstanding pieces included an early 20th century gold carved coral ring which sold for a full price of £586.96 (including fees), against as estimate of £120 – £180. Further to this, a “Trinity” ring, by Cartier, sold for a full price of £523.16 against an estimate of £150 – £200.
A “Trinity” ring, by Cartier
Stephen Whittaker, Managing Director of Fellows Auctioneers, said: “Following on from our successful Fine Jewellery auction last week, our Online Jewellery timed auction on Thursday 19th March was a real treat. The volume of bids doesn’t seem to be slowing down and people are taking advantage of the fact we have made our auctions so accessible to so many people via the internet. I am sure our free shipping offer was an incentive too. We continue to have many amazing pieces being consigned to auction and, using the expertise of our team, we are continuing to offer free valuations via our website to our clients at home and abroad.”
A selection of highlights from the Online Jewellery sale, which ended on Thursday 19th March, can be seen below (these are including fees):
- Lot 5 – An early 20th century gold carved coral ring. Estimate: £120 – £180. Price Realised: £586.96
- Lot 58 – An 18ct gold brilliant-cut diamond and enamel swivel ring. Estimate: £400 – £600. Price Realised: £1,288.76
- Lot 323 – A “Trinity” ring, by Cartier. Estimate: £150 – £200. Price Realised: £523.16
- Lot 361 – A mother-of-pearl single Alhambra earring, by Van Cleef and Arpels. Estimate: £100 – £150. Price Realised: £791.12
- Lot 710 – A selection of late Georgian and Victorian gold hard stone seal fobs and a watch keys. Estimate: £200 – £300. Price Realised: £867.68
Fellows’ Online Watches & Watch Accessories auction, held on Monday 23rd September, was a white glove sale with every lot selling at a total hammer price of £124,080. This is indicative of the success of watch auctions that take place at the 143-year old family business. With watch parts, tools and boxes on offer, the 456-lot Online Watches & Watch Accessories sale proved there was plenty to appeal to both budding horology enthusiasts and professional watch repairers.
Highlights of the Online Watches & Watch Accessories auction included an array of sought-after watch boxes, and groups of watches from a variety of brands, ranging from Seiko to Tissot. With 100% of lots in the timed sale selling, it’s another indication that online timed auctions at Fellows in 2019 are thriving. Online timed auctions of Costume Jewellery, Gemstones, and Online Watches & Watch Accessories have all had very high sold rates at Fellows this year. Fellows also held a similarly successful live Watches auction simultaneously on Monday 23rd September, which featured 470 lots. The successful live Watches sale had a total hammer price of £108,615, making the total hammer price for both the live and timed auctions £232,695.
Steven Yambo, Senior Watch Specialist at Fellows, said: “I am proud that we managed to sell 100% of items in the Online Watches & Watch Accessories auction. The lots in this sale are always in high demand but I never expected such a great result from the sale. The market for second-hand watches and accessories at auction seems to be getting increasingly strong and hopefully it is a trend which continues.”
The next Online Watches & Watch Accessories auction at Fellows will take place on Monday 9th December 2019. The specialists are still welcoming consignments. Fellows’ next flagship watch auction The Watch Sale, showcasing timepieces from renowned watch brands such as Omega, Patek Philippe, and Rolex, will take place on Tuesday 15th October.
A gentleman’s Speedmaster chronograph bracelet watch has just sold for over seven times its low estimate and has broken Fellows’ house record for an Omega sold by the company. The rare timepiece sold for a hammer price of £69,000, racking up a total of £88,044 when including all fees. Moreover, the sale is Fellows’ top price for a watch in 2018. The Omega, dating back to 1960, was Lot 125 in Fellows’ Watch Sale on Tuesday 30th October, and it sold at approximately 12:20pm.
The bidding flew back and forth between several telephones and an internet bidder for almost five minutes as the asking price soared above the estimate of £9,000 – £14,000. The tension could be felt from every corner of the saleroom as the asking price reached £60,000. The Omega sold to an internet bidder, and was met with applause across the room.
The Omega Speedmaster has a stainless steel case with a tachymeter bezel, referenced 2998-1, which is an early number. With a signed manual wind calibre 321, the Speedmaster has an alluring chocolate brown dial with luminous baton hour markers, and subsidiary recorder dials to three, six and nine.
Steven Yambo, Senior Specialist from the Watch Department at Fellows Auctioneers, said:
“We are over the moon to have broken yet another house record at Fellows. In our November Watch Sale last year we sold a Rolex Milgauss for a hammer price of £110,000. This was our highest ever price for a Rolex. With the sale of this stunning Speedmaster it rounds up a very successful year for the Watch Department. We are excited for what we have in store as we head toward the Christmas period. The chocolate brown dial is extremely rare and we knew it would entice bidders. Our house record was broken which none of us expected.”
Valuations
Our valuations are free, with no obligation to sell with us. Our experts will value your item with an estimate, so you can find out what it could achieve at auction.
The process is simple. You can fill in a form online or book an appointment to visit either of our offices in Birmingham or London. Virtual valuation appointments are also available.
Find what you’re looking for
Make sure you don’t miss finding that special something by signing up to our email alerts. You’ll be the first to know when catalogues become available, receive invitations to special events and preview the hottest lots from our auctions, plus much more.
Why not use our free personal shopping service? Sign up for lot alerts and tell us exactly what you are looking for. Each time we upload a catalogue, we search for your keywords and email you lots matching your interests. Your personalised email will include images, lot descriptions and auction details.
Tanzanite: Lavish, Elegant, Fashionable . . .