A sparkling year: a look back at some of ATG’s top jewellery stories from 2017

A selection of the more than 100 items of vintage Dior costume jewellery offered at Catherine Southon in February.

• Frances Allitt
  
• 29 Dec 2017

From (nearly) zero to hero: £10 car boot diamond ring takes more than half a million pounds

This claw-set 26.27ct cushion-shaped diamond ring was bought at a car boot sale for £10 in the 1980s and taken to Sotheby’s to be valued earlier this year.

A 1980s car boot find proved to be worth much more than its original £10 asking price. At Sotheby’s in June the 19^th century, 26.27ct cushion-shaped diamond sold for £540,000. It’s a classic fantasy for anyone selling at auction – or poking around at a car boot – and the story inspired a new name for the piece.

Know your assets

Jewellery is among the best performing assets in the latest update from the Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index. This pair of gold and amethyst pendant earrings by Andrew Grima, 1971, were offered at Bonhams

It was a good year for jewellery in general as The Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index ranked it among the best performing assets. The Grima amethyst pendant earrings featured in the picture alongside the story ended up selling for a premium-inclusive £30,000.

A flyer for Flog It!

This Victorian 18ct gold ring, inset with diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and rubies, marked Garrard & Co. sold online at Bristol Auction Rooms.

A collector who brought a Victorian 18ct gold ring to Bristol Auction Rooms was rewarded when it soared past its estimate during filming for an episode of the BBC TV show Flog it!

Workers of the world buy jewellery

A Fabergé aquamarine and diamond pendant purchased by dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna of Russia, c.1895, offered at £125,000.

Ever-popular Fabergé was the focus of an exhibition at Mayfair dealer Bentley & Skinner in November held to mark the centenary of the Russian Revolution. The show was staged to show “the clash of two contrasting worlds”.

Object of desire: Napoleon’s golden gift

The gold ring set with a carved ivory scene which the young Napoleon Bonaparte gave to Caroline du Colombier was offered at Osenat’s auction in Fontainebleau on March 26.

In April, a gold and ivory ring given by the young Napoleon to Caroline du Colombier was offered at French auction house Osenat. Not only was it ring a link to a historical love story, it had stayed in Caroline’s family since her death, so it was no surprise that the ring ultimately found a top result.  

Fellows’ yellow: diamond ring sets records

This exceptional diamond ring by Graff sold for £1.1m at Fellows.

Finally, Birmingham jewellery specialist Fellows set a new house record with a yellow Graff diamond ring earlier this month. The 43.59ct radiant-cut diamond took £1.1m before buyer’s premium, smashing the auctioneer’s previous high of £131,000. It also marked the top price in the UK regions this year.