Auction Alert: Jewellery, Watches & Silver

Regular readers will know that I have a thing for vintage Scandinavian jewellery and this week’s auction features a number of lots including a pretty cocktail ring designed by Niels Erik From. My favourite piece of jewellery in this auction is hands down the grasshopper brooch – it’s exquisite! Estimates on the items I’ve featured range from £80 to £6,000 – so there are options to suit every budget.

There are a total of 686 lots in this month’s Jewellery, Watches & Silver sale – almost half of which is given over to jewellery. The auction takes place on Saturday 18th September from 10am at Elstob and Elstob, based in Ripon, Yorkshire.

As ever, we only feature sales where prospective buyers are able to bid online. Please note, there’s a buyer’s premium of 22% (26.4% including vat) on top of the hammer price of each lot.

Absentee and live bids can be placed direct on the Elstob and Elstob website; if you use this method, there’s an additional 1.5% (plus vat) premium. Bidding on this sale is also available on The Saleroom, [where there’s an additional 4.95% (plus vat) surcharge]; Invaluable, [where there’s an additional 5% (plus vat) surcharge]; BidSquare, [where there’s an additional 3% (plus vat) surcharge]; Live Auctioneers, [where there’s an additional 5% (plus vat) surcharge]; Drouot Digital, [where there’s an additional 3% (plus vat) surcharge] and EasyLiveAuction, [where there’s an additional 3% (plus vat) surcharge or the option of a flat fee of £3].

Lot 1436: A group of Victorian banded agate jewellery
Estimate: £1,000 – 1,500
Comprising: a necklace of slightly graduated beads, length 61.5cm; another bead necklace, length 43.5cm; a bracelet, of graduated oval links, length 19cm; a ring, ring size ‘N1/2’; and a stick pin, with a glazed locket back. (5)

Lot 1487: A late Victorian amethyst and aquamarine fringe necklace
Estimate: £300 – 500
The front with graduated knife-edge drops set with oval-cut amethyst and pale aquamarine, to a fine belcher chain. Drop length 2cm-2.8cm, chain length 42.5cm, 13.0 grams

Lot 1495: A late 19th century pearl, diamond and green garnet grasshopper brooch
Estimate: £4,000 – 6,000
Modelled upon an old-cut diamond set branch, the body set with a baroque pearl and green garnets and picked out with green enamel, total estimated diamond weight 0.50ct approximately. Measures 2.5cm by 3.5cm, 7.1 grams

Lot 1635a: Niels Erik From – a Danish silver smoky quartz dress ring
Estimate: £80 – 120
A round-cut smoky quartz in a high claw setting to an angular shank, maker’s mark ‘from’, ‘925s’, ring size ‘K’

Lot 1641: Matti J. Hyvärinen – a Finnish silver and amethyst ring
Estimate: £80 – 120
The scrolling oval head with a textured finish and set with an amethyst sphere, to a crossover shank, maker’s mark ‘mjh’, Turku 1973, ring size ‘O’ (adaptable)

Lot 1652: A pair of mid 20th century Scandinavian silver pendant earrings
Estimate: £200 – 300
Articulated openwork frames with a central pendant drop, marked ‘830’, with screw fittings. Length 8cm

Price Points: Topaz jewellery

It’s my birthday in (less than) a couple of weeks. Justin often buys me a ring or necklace – and hopefully this year he’ll get me some topaz jewellery.

I used to think that I had the most boring birthstone – a drab brown thing. I wished I was born in a different month – like February that has beautiful purple amethyst as its birthstone. It was only years later that I realised that topaz is also available as a blue, pink, green or clear stone… and I’ve actually grown to quite like the brown variety.

I’d be quite happy with unwrapping any of the above on the 24th… or even all three! 🙂

Pink coated topaz stud earrings in platinum overlay sterling silver: £19.99, TJC
Michael Kors rose gold tone topaz bracelet: £89.00, Goldsmiths
Blue topaz gold ring – square stone: £341.63, Etsy

A candle with a difference

Have you noticed a change in me? Have you seen how calm & serene I’ve become recently? No? Well, just take my word for it. It’s all down to my new night-time regime.

Six weeks ago, a package arrived from Imperial Candles containing one of their 100% soy wax candles in Calm Lavender.

That evening, my bath-time routine took a turn for the better. Bath run, bubble bath poured, lights off, radio on, candle lit and (the occasional) glass of red wine.

I haven’t looked back, this has my daily wind-down routine ever since! The fragrance is amazing, I close my eyes and breathe deeply, the day’s stresses melting away. But wait, there’s more, the candle contains a little extra. Each candle is made with a beautiful ring (or earrings or necklace) wrapped up in foil and suspended within it.

It may be worth £10, it may be worth £2,000 – you won’t know until you’ve burned your candle to about a third of the way down and extracted the little package with tweezers. It took me 6 weeks of baths to get to this stage! As the saying goes, ‘good things come to those who wait’. Isn’t it beautiful?

Imperial Candles have very kindly agreed to offer two items from their range to H is for Home readers. A melon cucumber ring candle and a piña colada bath bomb.