Plymouth Family Delights At White Glove Sale

The contents of a large carrier bag yielded a stunning array of jewellery; enough to fill a whole auction.

A Plymouth couple attended a recent valuation event at Plymouth Auction Rooms with a ‘collection of various jewellery’. On closer inspection Gemmologist Tracey Still could see that this was not a typical collection of estate jewellery, and together with Auctioneer and Valuer, Paul Keen, spent over an hour with the couple appraising and inspecting the gems and delights of the collection.

The sellers late mother was clearly a very stylish lady, and whilst living in Scotland she had collection many pieces over the years, ranging from diamond rings to stylish bracelets and necklaces. With a previous connection to the Saleroom, they decided to bring the collection back to Plymouth for auction.

Following instructions to sell the collection, Tracey spent time assessing each piece and cataloguing in detail the precious stones and weights. Some 100 lots were listed and duly promoted online and through the extensive client base held at Plymouth Auction Rooms. Before long it was clear to see that the sale was going to do well, with registrations and bids coming in from as far as France, London and Australia.

Paul Keen conducted the evening auction on the 8^th September, fielding bids from an array of telephone lines, rooms attendees, commission bids, and many live online bidders. Lot 1, an enamel buckle ring, estimated at £100, sold for £330. This was a clear indication that this would be a ‘lively’ sale, thought Paul, as bids continued to roll in, with Lots 2, 3 & 4 all selling over estimate. This continued for 90 minutes when the hammer came down on the final lot. It was a total sell out, commonly known as a White Glove Auction. Every item found a buyer, and there were many new bidders experiencing the excitement of a live auction and having the opportunity to pick up a unique piece of jewellery.

The family were able to attend the sale and see the full journey of lots through the auction. This was understandably an emotional event, as it brought them to the end of a chapter but equally the sale results brought some comfort to them.

Some of the highlights of the sale included, a double flower cluster ring, set with 4.10 carats of diamonds which sold for a fantastic £2,800. As well as this gorgeous 18ct white gold bangle set with 4.45 carats of baguette cut and round brilliant cut diamonds which made £1,500. Lot 33, a yellow, rose and white gold textured chequered design bracelet, had a lot of attention ahead of the auction and when it went under the hammer made £1,300.

The 18ct white gold wave design collar set with diamonds, also made a great £1,100, alongside a pair of diamond flower cluster earrings which reached £920 at the auction.

View the results.