LONDON.- A stunning 10.13 carat diamond single stone ring, set with a Fancy Light yellow brilliant, led the sparkling sale results at Noonans Mayfair’s sale of Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, selling for a hammer price of £80,000 – double its pre-sale lower estimate.

The coloured gemstone rings far exceeded expectations: a late 19th century five stone untreated Burmese ruby ring sold for the hammer price of £36,000 after fierce competition on the telephones secured the lot at nearly 10 times estimate. A Faint Pink diamond pendant set with an old-cut pear-shaped diamond fetched £22,000 – seven times its pre-sale lower estimate, and a particularly stylish Art Deco diamond bracelet, circa 1930, set throughout with old-cut, brilliant-cut, baguette, and single-cut diamonds sold for £17,000 against an estimate of £6,000-£8,000. A Sri Lankan sapphire ring, set with an untreated sapphire of 14.80 carats, doubled its estimate selling for £6,000-8,000. and an untreated jadeite jade bead necklace, composed of 77 graduating beads, achieved £10,000.

The sale included a fine selection of early rings, including a 17th century seal ring, discovered 15 years ago by 71-year-old Richard McCaie, a retired schoolteacher, when he was landscaping the garden of his Grade II listed 16th century farmhouse at Braunton in Devon. While planting a Ceanothus bush at a depth of 10 inches, he discovered by chance a gold ring which sold at Noonans for £12,000 to a UK collector. The ring dated from circa 1620 and very likely belonged to Humphrey Cockeram of Cullompton in Devon.

Among the Objects of Vertu was a fine gold fob seal, circa 1820, engraved with the arms of Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill of Hawkestone and of Hardwicke (Shropshire), whose distinguished military career in the Napoleonic Wars led him to being appointed second in command to the Duke of Wellington, on whose retirement Lord Hill replaced as General Commander of the British Forces. It was expected to fetch £600-£800, however the seal attracted intense bidding and eventually sold for £10,000 to a private purchaser who plans to present the seal to the Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery.

98% of the Watch section sold, with most lots exceeding their pre-sale estimates. The Art Deco styled Patek Philippe Gondolo watch, circa1995, sold for a hammer price of £6,000 and the classic Reverso Night & Day dual time wristwatch by Jaeger-LeCoultre, circa 2000, also achieved £6,000.

Following the sale, Frances Noble, Associate Director, and Head of Jewellery at Noonans commented: "The extraordinary prices we are achieving show the increasingly strong demand for antique and fine gemstone jewellery and watches at auction, an upward market trend which shows no signs of diminishing.”