STUNNING MID 20TH CENTURY RUBY, EMERALD AND DIAMOND RING BY CARTIER SELLS FOR HAMMER PRICE OF £20,000 AT DIX NOONAN WEBB

A stunning mid 20th century ruby, emerald and diamond ring by Cartier was sold for £20,000 - almost three times its high estimate - by Dix Noonan Webb in their auction of Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu on Tuesday March 15, 2022 at their Mayfair saleroom (16 Bolton Street, London W1J 8BQ). Comprising three bombé hoops, it had been estimated to fetch £5,000-7,000, and was bought by a member of the London trade and consigned by a private vendor [lot 265].

As Frances Noble, Head of the Jewellery Department and Associate Director at Dix Noonan Webb, commented after the sale: “The sale results illustrate the extremely strong auction market at present, and an overall shortage on the market of good quality pieces, which in turn is leading to competitive bidding. Period Cartier jewels are currently highly sought after and attracting exceptional prices.”  

The auction also included a stylish early 20th century gold and diamond set buckle by Cartier, circa 1902 – the year that Cartier opened a their first boutique in London to coincide with the coronation of King Edward VII, which sold to a private buyer for £4,400 for double its pre-sale estimate [lot 283].

Other notable pieces in the sale included an Arts & Crafts star sapphire and pearl pendant, circa 1900, which sold for £16,000 against an estimate of £6,000-8,000. The unusual pendant, although not attributed to a particular maker, was mounted with a 63.29 carat Sri Lankan untreated star sapphire, and sold to a private collector, outbidding the trade [lot 255]. Elsewhere a particularly good fine ruby and diamond cuff dating from 1980 and mounted in 18 carat gold, sold for £14,000 against an estimate of £4,000-6,000. Part of a private collection, it was bought by the London trade [lot 279]. An Art Deco diamond bracelet, circa 1930, sold for £11,000 to the London trade. Geometric in design, it was set throughout with old brilliant and rose-cut diamonds and mounted in platinum and white gold [lot 287]. 

The watch section saw strong results including a Rolex Submariner, ‘James Bond’ wristwatch, circa 1960, selling for £10,000 against an estimate of £6,000-8,000, offered for sale by a private client based in the UK and bought by a UK private collector [lot 368].

As Watch Specialist Joanne Lewis commented: “Rolex sports models are very popular and are strong in the market, however these early models are rare and hard to find, so this watch attracted a lot of interest.” 

A gold rectangular wristwatch, circa 1940, by Patek Philippe & Co., and retailed by Cucco, sold for £8,500 to an overseas buyer, and was sold on behalf of a private vendor [lot 344]. 

An interesting group of antique jewellery from the collection of the late Beatrice de Cardi (1914-2016) sold for £26,500.  Beatrice de Cardi left her estate to the Society of Antiquaries of London and, in accordance with her wishes, the proceeds of this sale will go towards the de Cardi awards fund and perpetuate her legacy. Beatrice de Cardi undertook pioneering fieldwork and research in the Arabian Gulf and Pakistan. Over the course of a long and distinguished career, she was President of the British Foundation for the Study of Arabia, the first Secretary of the Council for British Archaeology, and a recipient of the Gold Medal of the Society of Antiquaries of London. The awards named after her are for the furtherance of archaeological research by field survey, excavation and the publication of the fieldwork in the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the Pakistan province of Balochistan. All the lots sold, with the highest price achieved for an early 19th century diamond brooch/pendant in the shape of a Maltese cross, set throughout with old brilliant and cushion-cut diamonds, mounted in silver and gold, which realised £6,500 against an estimate of £2,000-3,000 and was bought by the London trade [lot 34]. 

A fine private collection of Sampson Mordan enamelled vesta cases attracted significant interest with each item making double or triple their estimates. The highest price was paid for an Edwardian silver example which showed a shooting party scene, possibly depicting King Edward VII, dating from 1909 which fetched £3,000 against an estimate of £600-800 [lot 418].

The sale also offered a strong section of early jewellery principally detectorist finds that had been disclaimed after being through the Treasure process. The most notable piece was a rare early medieval cross, known as the Throckenholt Cross, which was discovered in a field in Sutton St. Edmund, Lincolnshire and sold for £10,000 to a private collector [lot 103] Amongst the posy rings, which are still very popular with trade and private buyers alike, was a particularly fine example of a post-medieval gold posy ring, circa 1650-1730, engraved with a double row inscription which sold for £5,500 to a private collector [lot 110].