Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Better by design: the Anne Shannon collection at auction in Salisbury
12 November 2018The sale of the Anne Shannon collection of British and Continental designer jewellery will live long in the memory.
Taste of Japan from Rago
12 November 2018Tiffany exhibited only gold jewellery at the 1878 Paris exposition, including a collection of ‘Japanesque’ pieces.
More gems from the turn of the century
12 November 2018Dr Anne Shannon would no doubt have admired these three pieces of turn of the century jewellery sold at UK regional salerooms in recent weeks.
Creative Devlin at Dreweatts
12 November 2018This amethyst and cultured pearl ring and brooch is by Stuart Devlin (1931-2018) – the Australian-born designer and craftsman the Duke of Edinburgh described as “probably the most original and creative goldsmith and silversmith of his time, and one of the greats of all time”.
Renaissance ring joins Salisbury double act
12 November 2018Woolley & Wallis followed the Shannon collection with a mixed-owner sale on November 1. Together the auctions brought a premium-inclusive £2.1m.
Charterhouse star brooch could shine
12 November 2018The Charterhouse two-day November 15-16 auction in Sherborne includes a substantial selection of jewellery and watches.
Submariner ticks in at Fellows
12 November 2018Among the many versions of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner, the reference 5508 with its James Bond association is perhaps the best known.
Leslie Hindman brooch to Georges Braque design
12 November 2018This 18ct two-colour gold and enamel Hebe brooch to a design by Georges Braque, c.1962, carries an estimate of $2500-3500 at Leslie Hindman’s Important Jewelry sale in Chicago on December 3.
Diamonds highlight a luxury comeback
12 November 2018By the 1950s, as the global economic landscape improved, luxury was making a comeback and so too was the prolific use of diamonds in the jewellery of France’s premier ateliers.
Sensational royal jewels at Sotheby’s
12 November 2018In the end, it was diamonds, not cake, that triggered the tragic downfall of Marie-Antoinette (1755-93) and her family. Even though the doomed queen was innocent of conspiracy, it was the affair of a diamond necklace that lit the powder-keg of revolution.
A £1900 diamond in the rough
12 November 2018An unusual entry to Hansons’ September auction in Teddington, south-west London, was a ‘diamond’ in the rough – an uncut 5ct crystal still in its original carrier stone.
Medieval brooch at TimeLine
12 November 2018This well-preserved medieval annular brooch set with cabochon rubies and sapphires is a rare survivor from the 14th century.
Dix Noonan Webb offers de Temple ring
12 November 2018From c.1969-75, Charles de Temple (b.1929) – the son of the American film actor Tom Mix – created his series of ‘nervous jewels’, employing prickly cultural designs in two-coloured gold wire. This 18ct gold and beryl dress ring is a good example.
Timely Cartier lot at Sworders
12 November 2018The Fine Jewellery and Watches auction at Sworders of Stansted Mountfitchet on November 20 will include this Cartier Art Deco rose-cut diamond, black and white enamel and seed pearl-set pendant watch, c.1915.
Five lots that caught bidders’ eyes this week including a Regency table, a Maltese silver bowl and a Beatles poster
09 November 2018ATG’s selection of hammer highlights that sold at auction in the last week include a Regency rosewood table and a Beatles poster from a Leeds Queen's Hall appearance.
Charles Rennie Mackintosh tearoom chairs sit comfortably at a combined £150,000
05 November 2018Two Charles Rennie Mackintosh chairs made for Glasgow’s Argyle Street Tea Rooms starred at Lyon & Turnbull’s Decorative Arts sale in Edinburgh last week.
Sales in North America: previews of 10 upcoming lots including a Maurice Guiraud-Rivier figure
05 November 2018A selection of preview highlights from upcoming American auctions, including a terracotta bust by Maurice Guiraud-Rivier.
Suffragettes stand up for rights by burning a grandstand
05 November 2018On June 13, 1913, just five days after the infamous death of Emily Wilding Davison under the king’s horse at the Derby, two Suffragettes set fire to the Hurst Park grandstand in Surrey.
Break-out price from Mafeking siege case
05 November 2018A German silver cigarette case, sold for £4600 at C&T Auctioneers (20% buyer’s premium) in Tunbridge Wells on October 24, was engraved with a detailed scene from the Siege of Mafeking – the famous Boer War defence of a small town commanded by Robert Baden-Powell.
Awards for excellence mark start of Asian Art in London
05 November 2018Copenhagen auction house Bruun Rasmussen and London dealer Grace Tsumugi Fine Art were the recipients of the 2018 Asian Art in London Awards, co-sponsored by ATG.