First Cheffins jewellery sale of 2023 grosses £510,000

The first Jewellery, Silver and Watches Sale of 2023 from auction house Cheffins has sold over £510,000 worth of items, with over 90% sold across 657 lots.

The Jewellery, Silver and Watches Sale took place on 6 April at the firm’s salerooms in Cambridge.

The auctioneer said that “the star of the show” was a single row of natural saltwater pearls with a diamond-set clasp, which sold for £58,000 against a pre-sale estimate of £10,000 to £15,000.

The necklace saw eleven bidders on the telephone in addition to those online and bidders in the room and was finally sold to a London-based trade buyer.

The diamond-set velvet choker necklace owned by Newmarket horse trainer Julie Cecil was among the “high value” jewels up for auction and sold for £12,000 as opposed to the estimate of £7,000 to £9,000.

A pink topaz and split pearl pendant from the early 20th century was also sold for £7,000 to a trade buyer in Hatton Garden.

Additionally, an intaglio-painted crystal pendant and chain from the same Julie Cecil collection, which depicted a horse’s head, sold for £2,600, and an Art Deco diamond-set panel brooch sold for £2,000.

Steven Collins, head of Jewellery, Silver and Watches at Cheffins, said: “This is our most successful Jewellery, Silver and Watches auction we have hosted to date. And with quality collections such as those from Barry Lock and Julie Cecil, we had a plethora of exciting rare antique and modern pieces to offer to the market.

“…In the meantime, jewellery and silver prizes from Julie Cecil, the leading lady of the Newmarket horse racing scene, ensured plenty of the racing fraternity were bidding on the day. With a sale rate in excess of 90%, we saw very strong prices achieved across all sectors of the sale.”