CARTIER LADYBIRD BROOCH DISCOVERED BY A METAL DETECTORIST SELLS FOR A HAMMER PRICE OF £4,000 - 20 TIMES ITS ESTIMATE AT NOONANS MAYFAIR

A white gold brooch in the shape of a ladybird, made by Cartier circa 1930, and discovered by a metal detectorist, sold for £4,000 – 20 times its pre-sale estimate in a sale of jewellery, watches, silver and objects of vertu at Noonans Mayfair on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 [lot 41].

As Laura Smith, jewellery specialist at Noonans explains: “The brooch, measuring 31mm, was discovered by a metal detectorist near Winchester in March 2024 and was brought in to one of our monthly Valuation days in Shaftesbury. The brooch was in very poor condition, all the coral had been eaten away as a result of being in the ground for so long, with only two of the original diamond ‘spots’ still intact. The high price achieved at the auction illustrates just how strong the demand is for period Cartier pieces - no matter what the condition.”

Following the sale, the finder said that he was delighted, his wife added that he was “nearly on the floor” while watching it sell! He also said: “It was found in the middle of a field, so I wondered if someone might have lost it while hunting. It might explain why they were wearing a Cartier brooch in the middle of the countryside!”

Another early Cartier piece that sold extremely well was a gold tank wristwatch, with a London hallmark for 1941, which fetched a hammer price of £24,000 – against an estimate of £5,000-7,000. It was sold by a private UK individual who had inherited it and was bought by a UK private collector [lot 396].

As Joanne Lewis, watch specialist at Noonans commented: “We are delighted with the price this rare Cartier Tank achieved. Cartier London pieces were produced in small numbers and do not appear on the market very often, as such they are extremely sort-after by Cartier collectors.”

For more details on Noonans Valuation Days, please visit https://www.noonans.co.uk/news-and-events/event-calendar/