The market for antique silver and objects of vertu proved to be flourishing in the Fine Jewellery, Watches and Silver Sale on 14th March, when Tennants Auctioneers achieved a total hammer price of just over £400,000 for 285 lots – the second highest result for silver in a multi-vendor sale at Tennants, and a very strong 98% selling rate. There was strong bidding throughout the sale with almost half of the silver lots realising at or above the high auction estimate. The strong results were boosted by the inclusion of the second tranche of silver and objects of vertu from Corby Castle, Cumbria, and the final group from this esteemed collection will be offered in Tennants’ Antiques and Interiors sale on 20th March.
A fine Louis XV Gold Snuff Box made in 1763 by Pierre Siffait of Paris led the section, selling for £20,000 (all figures exclude buyer’s premium). The box was set with a portrait miniature of the Hon. Peregrine Widdrington (1692-1748/9) and is thought to have been commissioned posthumously as a tribute by his nephew the Hon. William Tempest Widdrington, who inherited most of his estates. Peregrine Widdrington was from a family of staunch Catholics, who were supporters of the Stuart claim to the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland; indeed, both Peregrine and his brother William were taken prisoner after the Battle of Preston during the 1715 Jacobite Rising. Good pieces by leading makers included a George III Silver-Gilt Cup and Cover by John Wakelin and Robert Garrard made in 1793 (sold for £16,500), and a Set of Twelve Victorian Silver Dinner-Plates by Robert Garrard made in 1840 and 1853 sold for £10,200. An intricate late 18th century Gold and Diamond-Mounted Tortoiseshell and Lace Fan apparently unmarked but retailed by Tiffany of Paris sold well above estimate at £5,500. Amongst the modern silver in the sale, a Massive Pair of Elizabeth II Silver Punch-Bowls by Desantis of London sold for £10,000, and a Pair of Elizabeth II Scottish Silver Three-Light Candelabra by T.K. Ebbutt sold well at £6,500.
In the jewellery section of the sale, the market for antique pieces from private collections remains very strong, particularly for those more usual jewels. Notable in the sale were quirky and novelty items, with bidders eagerly competing to push prices well above estimates; highlights included a circa 1860 Pearl, Diamond and Ruby Brooch realistically modelled as a crab (sold for £2,200), a mid-19th century Rock Crystal and Diamond Brooch in the form of a ‘key to my heart’ (sold for £1,800), and a Ruby and Split Pearl Pendant on Chain in the form of a quiver and arrow (sold for £2,000). Sentimental pieces included a circa 1860 Ruby and Split Pearl Bangle (sold for £3,000), and good original gem-set pieces that sold very well included a circa 1860 Diamond Brooch/Pendant that sold for £10,000, and a circa 1860 Agate, Cultured Pearl and Enamel Pendant and Earring Suite that sold for £4,500.
Hammer prices were buoyant across all the jewellery categories, aided by the global market for precious metals and the top lot of the whole sale as a Platinum Diamond Ring by Boodle & Dunthorne, which included a 3.40 carat marquise cut diamond and sold for £28,000. Further highlights of the jewellery in the sale included two diamond necklaces that sold for £7,500 and £8,000, and a Sapphire and Diamond Ring that sold for £9,500.
Luxury and fine collectors’ watches continue to see high levels of demand, and the watches in the sale were topped by a fine Patek Philippe 18 Carat Rose Gold Diamond-Set Twenty-4 Wristwatch, which sold for £12,500. Cartier watches continue to excel, with good prices realised for the likes of a Cartier Lady’s 18 Carat Gold Diamond-Set Tank Americaine Wristwatch, which sold for £9,500. Amongst the gent’s watches in the sale were a Rolex Stainless Steel Submariner dating from 1997 (sold for £6,000), an IWC Stainless Steel Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Edition Kurt Claus Limited Edition (sold for £5,500). Interesting pocket watches included a circa 1887 Lange & Sohne 18 Carat Gold Full Hunter Pocket Watch, which sold for £4,800.
The Fine Jewellery, Watches and Silver Sale realised a total hammer price of £911,290 for 486 lots, and a 95% sold rate.
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