Birmingham

Amid current stories in the media of drastic Royal Navy cutbacks, it is difficult to imagine a sizeable task force of British ships sailing thousands of miles to fight a war. But in 1982 HMS Brilliant (F90) was part of that fleet heading to the South Atlantic to take on, and beat, the Argentinians who had invaded the Falkland Islands.

The £1.1m paid for this Graff yellow diamond ring at Fellows on December 7 makes it the top price achieved in the UK regions this year.

Estimated at £12,000-18,000, this impressive pair of Regency four-light candelabra dipped just under hopes to sell for £11,500 at Fellows in Birmingham.

Anita (1930-2015) and Irvin Garfield Schorsch (1927-2014) were not typical Americana collectors.

Porcelain society event spearheads ceramics spotlight at winter 'Antiques for Everyone'.

The sale at Fellows (23/15% buyer’s premium) in Birmingham on July 31 included this Arts & Crafts pendant designed by Charles Robert Ashbee (1862-1942).

The Antiques for Everyone fair is dubbed by the organiser as “a barometer for what’s in vogue with collectors, interior decorators and furnishers”. So what are dealers to do when pressure for their offerings slackens?

From the moustache spoon and the nose-shaping device to the washing machine, the period following The Great Exhibition of 1851 was a time of prolific invention in the UK.

Dendritic agate – a pale chalcedony with treelike inclusions caused by traces of iron or manganese – is a relatively lowly stone but was a favourite of Russian jewellers in particular. Carl Fabergé used it in many pieces in a country where it is considered a stone of longevity, good health and prosperity.

In 1953 Pan Am Airlines approached Rolex with a request for a watch that could show the time simultaneously in two different time zones.

First Birmingham NEC fair of 2017 courts the interior design trade with welcome BIID tie-up

The £810,000 wucai fish at Fellows’ (20% buyer’s premium) sale at Birmingham on February 27 (ATG No 2282) overshadowed everything else on offer but there were a number of other areas of interest among the 1250 lots.