Natural saltwater pearl necklace triples pre-sale estimate

A natural saltwater pearl necklace tripled its presale estimate when it sold for £18,000 to a UK-based trade buyer at Cheffins’ first Jewellery, Silver & Watches Sale of 2025. Accompanied by a report from the Gem and Pearl Laboratory, this necklace included an 18ct gold clasp set with emeralds and diamonds, and saw significant interest from both private and trade buyers ahead of the sale.

Hosted on 1^st May at Cheffins’ Cambridge-based salerooms, the auction saw 582 lots go under the hammer, achieving a total of £372,000 with a 97 per cent sale rate.

Other highlights from the jewellery section include a zircon and diamond three stone ring which achieved £11,000 against an estimate of £5,000 - £7,000; an Art Deco diamond set giardinetti brooch which sold for £5,000 against an estimate of £1,000 - £2,000 and two 20^th century Burmese ruby rings which sold for way over their pre-sale estimates at £4,200 apiece.

A natural saltwater pearl necklace 

The watch section only saw one consignment unsold and some strong prices for both antique pocket watches and newer wristwatches. A hunter pocket watch with the case signed 'Patek Philippe & Co' achieved £5,500 against an estimate of £800 - £1,200 and a steel ‘Oyster Prince Date + Day Jumbo’ wristwatch made £2,000 and a Longines 18ct gold ‘Conquest Calendar’ sold for £1,400.

The silver section saw the largest consignment at Cheffins to date, with a series of collectible pieces all achieving healthy prices, with a number selling for significantly overestimate. A collection of 19^th and early 20^th century agate handled cutlery and flatware made £1,700, well above its £200 - £400 estimate and a pair of Peruvian metalwares parcel gilt turkey censors sold for £1,100, while a late 19^th century German metalwares cast alloy 'Nautilus' cup centrepiece sold for £1,000.

An Art Deco diamond set giardinetti brooch

Steven Collins, Head of Jewellery, Silver & Watches at Cheffins comments: “The first sale at Cheffins of 2025 has really got the jewellery, silver and watch market off to a bang and looks to set the tone for the rest of auctions hosted here in Cambridge throughout the year. We saw the largest consignment of silver ever sold at Cheffins with 238 lots and these all experienced significant amounts of interest, with only one item unsold throughout the day. Similarly, the market was strong for watches, and we saw a healthy level of competition among both private and trade buyers for some of the most collectible items offered for sale. The jewellery section saw an almost 50/50 split between trade and private buyers, with the majority of interest being focussed on antique items, gemstones and natural saltwater pearls. We saw worldwide interest in this sale with bidders joining us both in the room and online from across the globe and are now looking forward to offering a fantastic catalogue of items for auction in our next sale in August.”

The Jewellery, Silver, Watches Sale – 3^rd May 2025

Location: Cheffins, Clifton House, 1-2 Clifton Road, Cambridge, UK, CB1 7EA

For further information contact the Fine Art Department on 01223 213343, fine.art@cheffins.co.uk