REVIEW: JEWELLERY, OBJECTS OF VERTU, SILVER & WATCHES: 23 & 24 JUNE

Metal detectorist Stuart Jones is celebrating the success of his ‘find of a lifetime’ with Noonans selling the stunning medieval diamond ring – what has become known as the Evesham Ring Diamond Ring – for £17,000. He declared himself “absolutely overwhelmed with joy” after finding the ring which sold to a UK bidder – a price he said was “beyond anything I could have imagined”.

The late 16th - early 17th century diamond and enamel ring has a flowerhead bezel composed of a cluster of eight ‘hogback’ diamonds around a central rose-cut diamond. The underside of the bezel is decorated with a flowerhead in turquoise and white enamel, between shoulders with applied quatrefoil flowerheads to a scroll and foliate engraved band.

Prior to the sale, Noonans’ Head of Jewellery, Frances Noble, explained how early 17th century baroque taste demanded grand rings to impress. “Fashions in diamond rings moved away from solitaires towards groups of small stones arranged in decorative patterns: rosettes, pansies, crosses, fleur-de-lys, etc,” she said. “Two similar examples include the portrait of Queen Isabelle of Spain, by Rodrigo de Villandrando, c.1620, in the Museo del Prado, Madrid, and the portrait of Elizabeth van de Aa, by Thomas de Keyser, 1628, in the Musée de l’Hotel Sandelin, Saint-Omer, France. Although the exact provenance of the ring not known, it would have been the property of a person of wealth and status, perhaps even royalty.”

A late 18th century portrait miniature ring of George Washington, depicted in naval uniform, the glazed portrait painted on ivory, sold for £14,000 against hopes of £800-1,000, the result of a fiercely contests ‘bidding war’ between a private collector and a trade buyer.

Noonans were privileged to offer for sale A Private Modern Collection of Jewellery by Barbara Cartlidge, the iconic founder of the famous Electrum Gallery in Mayfair, opened in 1971. The collection was led by an impressive bi-colour 18ct gold collar and amethyst crystal pendant, hallmarked for 1970, selling for top estimate at £15,000. A classic ‘Dot Lozenge’ bangle by Schlumberger, circa 1960, with an articulated strap of blue paillonné enamel, took £11,000.

Watches stood out, with fine examples making their mark.

A stainless steel automatic dual time Rolex GMT-Master, ‘Pepsi’ wristwatch, circa1997, accompanied by a punched guarantee, booklet, spare link, tags and presentation case, sold for £9,000 against an estimate of £5,000-7,000.

An early stainless steel Reverso wristwatch by Jaeger-LeCoultre, circa 1940, went for seven times top estimate, finally selling for £7,500. A rare limited edition ‘Black Bay’ Royal and Specialist Protection Unit stainless steel automatic Tudor wristwatch achieved a hammer price of £5,500.

Cartier watches continued to be highly sought after, with a lady’s Panthère 18ct gold bracelet watch, circa 1990, with its secret signature at X, pitched at an estimate of £2,400-2,600, and taking a hammer price of £7,500.

Leading the objects of vertu was the silver and 18ct gold mounted presentation cigarette case previewed in the last newsletter. Made circa 197l as a presentation gift to mark 2500 years since the founding of the Persian Empire, it had been presented to Lord Edmund Ironside by His Imperial Majesty Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi at a lavish three-day celebration held in Persepolis in
October 197l. It sold mid estimate at £7,000.

In total contrast, the Allerdale silver Viking Hoard, also previewed in the last newsletter, and dating to the late 9th - early 10th century, achieved top estimate at £6,000. It comprised four Anglo-Saxon lanceolate silver strap ends (belt fittings) in the Trewhiddle style together with seven fragments of a Viking silver bracelet and a lead gaming piece.

Detectorist finds featured strongly in this auction. The late 17th century gold memorial ring for Dr Richard Busby, 1695, Headmaster of Westminster School for 55 years from 1638, was one such, discovered near Catforth, in Lancashire in 2024. It went over high estimate at £3,200.

“At just under 680 lots, this two-day auction offered great breadth and depth across collecting fields and ages, from ancient to modern,” said Frances Noble. “An inspiration for those cataloguing it, its results speak for themselves, and we were delighted to welcome so many bidders from around the world to this auction.”