Stunning art deco bracelet up for grabs at Cambridge auction house
A magnificent art deco diamond plaque bracelet is the stand out item in an auction of jewellery and watches next month.
Cambridge-based fine art auctioneers, Cheffins, will host the region’s first specialist Jewellery, Silver and Watches sale of the year on April 11.
The sale will feature more than 450 lots in total and includes a number of historic and rare items which are set to kick start the market among both private and trade buyers.
The most valuable of these is an art deco diamond plaque bracelet which has a total estimated diamond weight in excess of 32ct and a guide price of £25-30,000.
It was consigned from a private client and is thought to date back to the 1920s. Other key lots in the jewellery section include a Belle Epoque diamond and aquamarine pendant necklace, with the aquamarine estimated to weigh in excess of 40ct.
It has an estimate of £3-5,000. There is also a French Art Deco diamond and platinum bar brooch which is in its original case and is expected to make between £4,000 and £6,000.
There is also an important sapphire and diamond cluster ring featuring an unheated and certificated Sri Lankan sapphire which weighs in at 7.16ct, and is expected to make between £12-£15,000.
Equally impressive is an emerald and diamond ring which has an estimate of £5-£7,000 and an exquisite diamond and enamel Kundan-Meena ring, which has an estimate of £9-12,000.
The watches include both antique and more modern examples. The most historic is an Omega Air Ministry gentleman’s watch from circa 1940 which was the property of late acting Squadron Leader V.C. Royals, who served in Egypt, Malta, the Middle East, North Africa and Sicily.
The watch is one of the few remaining examples which were issued by the Air Ministry (from Omega) during WWII for pilots and navigators in the Royal Air Force.
It comes with a letter written by the late owner to his mother, dated 1943 and the watch has an estimate of £5-700.
Also included within the sale are a series of vintage Rolexes, dating from as early as 1916 through to the 1950s as well as examples from Tag Heuer, Ebel and Omega. There are also a number of pocket watches available and a series of lady’s wristwatches from Omega, Longines and Rolex amongst others.
Steven Collins, head of jewellery, silver and watches at Cheffins said: “Following the highly-successful sale in October 2018, there is a significant uplift in the value and quality of the lots available at this next sale.
“The art deco examples from the jewellery section are sure to make high prices as these remain the go-to investment for not only trade buyers but also private collectors, similarly, the vintage watches ought to sell well as the market for these remains buoyant throughout a range of periods. These sales are the only dedicated jewellery, silver and watches auctions in the region and they have had a tangible impact on the market, ensuring Cheffins is now a go-to auction house for fine jewellery and high value silver and watches.”
