Impressive Results for Fine & Rare Jewellery, Watches & Silver

A fine and rare Omega Speedmaster wristwatch, made in 1969 to commemorate the Apollo XI moon landing, sold for £22,000 (all figures exclude buyer’s premium) in Tennants Auctioneers’ Fine Jewellery, Watches and Silver Sale on 16^th March. This watch was Omega’s first ever 18 carat gold Speedmaster and was produced in a limited edition of 1014. From the 1014 pieces made, numbers 1 and 2 were given to President Richard Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew, and legendary astronauts such as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin received edition numbers between 3 to 32.  Selling well above estimate too, were a circa 1972 Patek Philippe 18 carat white gold Ellipse with the Iraqi coat of arms, which sold for £6,500, and a 1967 Rolex ‘Pepsi Bezel’ GMT Master, which sold for £8,800.

The jewellery section of the sale was led by an impressive Diamond, Pink Topaz and Split Pearl Brooch, which sold for £40,000 and featured four unusually large and well-cut topaz. Antique jewellery performed notably well throughout the sale, with numerous lots achieving significant results including and Early 20^th Century Diamond Solitaire Ring, which was sold with provenance from Dutton Manor, Lancashire (sold for £23,000), an Art Deco Red Spinel and Diamond Ring (sold for £9,000), an early 20^th Century Sapphire and Diamond Cluster Ring (sold for £7,000), and a charming Late 19^th/Early 20^th Century Moonstone, Sapphire and Diamond Brooch with the central moonstone carved with the face of the Man in the Moon (sold for £4,800).

It was, however, emeralds that proved the most in-demand stones of the day, with an Early 20^th Century Colombian Emerald and Diamond Brooch selling for £19,000, and an Early 20^th Century Colombian Emerald and Diamond Cluster Ring selling for £17,000 – both lots were sold with provenance from Dutton Manor, Lancashire. A Victorian Emerald Five Stone Ring sold well, too, at £13,000.

Amongst a strong offering of silver in the sale was an imposing Edward VII Silver Wine Cistern and Stand, made by Barker Brothers of Birmingham in 1904, which sold for more than double the top estimate at £17,000. The fine piece was presented to the winner of the Memorial Plate of the Late William Watt Esq. at Beverley Races in 1905.  Indeed, almost 45% of the silver and objects of vertu in the sale sold at or above their top estimates, including a fine pair of Portuguese Silver-Gilt Seven-Light Candelabra by Mergulhão of Lisbon, which sold for £11,000.

Further notable results included a William IV Silver Cup and Cover made by Edward, Edward, John and William Barnard of London in 1833 (sold for £4,500), and Elizabeth II Silver Model of an Eagle by Edward Barnard and Sons of London (sold for £4,800), and a pair of Edward VII Silver Coronets and Coronation Robes world by Lord and Lady Westbury at the Coronation (sold for £3,600). A George V Silver-Mounted Dunhill Lighter sold for £1,900, a George I Silver Beer Jug made in 1720 by Thomas Folkingham of London sold for £3,400, and an Elizabeth I Parcel-Gilt Silver Seal-Top Spoon made by ‘IF’ of London in 1575 sold for £1,900.

The sale achieved a total hammer price of £721,370 with a 92% sold rate for 344 lots.

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