Is bubbe’s
TO THE uninitia t e d , b u y i n g and selling jewellery may be daunting. The wares on offer in the average high-street jeweller’s window are seemingly indistinguishable and may provide little scope for finding that once-ina-lifetime piece, whereas shopping at the top of the retail tree may leave one reeling at an exorbitant price tag and wondering if it is actually the branded packaging that one is really “investing” in. And when selling jewellery, there is a huge discrepancy between the retail or insurance value of a piece of jewellery and its secondhand or market value.
So where is the best place to go? Auction houses such as Bonhams provide an informative alternative. They were once the preserve of the dealer but today more and more private customers are turning to our jewellery sales for information, assistance and inspiration. Nearly every shape, size and variety of gemstone, and style and period of jewellery, from 1700 to the present day, is represented, at prices from £800 to hundreds of thousands.
Viewing jewellery at the pre-sale exhibitions is a good way to get your hand in and offers the private buyer a relaxed environment in which to examine jewellery for sale. A jewellery specialist is on hand to offer impartial advice and to navigate the customer through the mysteries of the four Cs of diamond buying (colour, clarity, carat weight and cut), to give opinions on the age and condition of a period jewel and to offer guidance on the bidding process. Buying at auction is an educational and stimulating experience; many customers who came to us as novice one-off buyers are now experienced and knowledgeable collectors.
Jewellery is also a portable and sentimental art form and at some point nearly everyone will own or inherit a jewel. The market is particularly buoyant at the moment for coloured gemstones and natural pearls, as well as period jewels signed by famous houses or statement jewels from the 1960s and ’70s. If a jewel has an interesting provenance, so much the better.
A recent exciting find was a chunky gold and citrine twist necklace, brought to Bonhams by a client who