Auction round-up: January's prized lots

Image 1 of 4

Birmingham-based Fellows ended 2017 on a high, breaking a house record by selling a Fancy Intense Yellow diamond ring from Graff Diamonds for £1,307,600 (including buyer's premium) at its Antique & Modern Jewellery sale on 7 December. This is the first seven-figure bid to be taken by a regional saleroom since 2012, and has shone a spotlight on smaller auction houses, proving that high-value, significant lots can be found outside the big-name London salerooms.

Fellows' next Antique & Modern Jewellery sale, on 18 January, may not be hitting the same heights, but it nonetheless features some interesting pieces, such as a stylish Hermes Kelly "Double Tour" diamond bracelet (£12,000-£18,000) and a Kutchinsky 1960s gold diamond and gem-set bracelet featuring a circular turquoise cabochon (£3,000-£4,000). Later in the month, on 30 January, the auction house is holding a Watch Sale that will feature a World War 2 Panerai "Dive" watch, said to have been "acquired" from a German frogman at the Battle of Nijmegen in September 1944. This extremely rare watch comes with an estimate of £30,000-£40,000.

Those in the market for some fine vintage jewellery or timepieces should also head to Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury on 25 January. Key pieces in its Jewellery & Watches auction include a French Art Deco sapphire and diamond ring featuring a sugarloaf-shaped sapphire (£25,000-£30,000), and a pair of clip earrings featuring circular-cut and baguette-shaped diamonds from Van Cleef & Arpels (£15,000-£20,000) – one of a collection of lots from the French haute joaillerie house that also includes a vintage engraved gold lipstick holder (£1,000-£2,000).

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Cheffins in Cambridge has some particularly notable lots at its Connoisseur's Sale on 18 January. This is a regular sale for the auction house, and always features a wide range of collectors’ items, from coins and medals to classic cars. This month's sale sees two classic examples of the latter – a 1967 Austin Healey BJ8 3000 MKIII finished in Healey Blue (£30,000-£50,000) and a 1971 Jaguar E-Type Series III Roadster in British Racing Green (£50,000-£70,000).

Finally, in Edinburgh, fine art auctioneer Lyon & Turnbull is holding a Modern British & Contemporary Art auction on 17 January. Highlights include "Paper Pools", a limited-edition lithograph by David Hockney (£7,000-£10,000). Signed and dated '80 and numbered 524/1000, the artwork is sold with the accompanying book, also signed by the artist. Also in the auction is an untitled watercolour comprising bold curves from circa 1975/6 by Sir Terry Frost (£3,000-£5,000) and "Insignia for the Little White Horse", a 2007 signed oil painting by Scottish artist Alan Davie (£7,000-£10,000).