Auction round-up: May’s precious finds

Specialist auction houses all over the country are having a busy month in May. First up is Lyon & Turnbull, which is holding a Select Jewellery & Watches auction at its London showroom on 3 May. Alongside several Belle Epoque and Art Deco pieces there will be a range of diamond rings, including this claw-set 9.15ct single brilliant-cut diamond ring (£25,000–£35,000), while watches include a diamond-set 18ct gold Cartier Tank Francaise (£15,000–£20,000).

On 15May, Chiswick Auctions has an auction of Jewellery in the morning and Watches in the afternoon, the latter featuring an unworn Faberge Visionnaire I Platinum Watch, a rare and distinctive timepiece that is being sold together with a pair of matching cufflinks and has a guide price of £70,000–£100,000. Other key lots in the sale include a Hublot MDM gold chronograph (£2,800–£3,200), and a 1950s Tiffany & Co. ruby and diamond flower brooch (£800–£1,200).

The following day, Chiswick is holding one of its regular Designer Handbags & Fashion auctions, where you’ll find covetable pieces such as this Hermes Brighton Blue Clemence Birkin 35 from circa 2008 (£4,000–£6,000), and a Chanel Peach Jumbo Classic Flap Bag from circa 2012 (£2,200–£2,800).

Chanel and Hermes are also prominent in the Designer Collection auction on 21 May at Fellows in Birmingham, where you’ll find another Chanel Jumbo Classic Flap Bag, this time in red (£1,500–£2,000), as well as a Blue Jean Birkin 35 handbag from Hermes (£5,000–£7,000). Other sought-after lots include a Christian Dior Cannage Lady Dior handbag (£700-£900) and an Alexander McQueen coral pink oversized Folk Clutch (£180–£260).

Designer brands also feature at Dreweatts’ Jewellery, Silver & Watches auction, which is being held at Donnington Priory on 15 May. Going under the hammer will be a Montblanc Meisterstuck 149 black lacquer fountain pen (£150–£250), as well as a Longines Hydro Conquest stainless steel bracelet wristwatch (£200–£300) and a Raymond Weil Collection Don Giovanni 2875 stainless steel and diamond wristwatch (£300–£500). 

Finally, at its Specialist Watches auction on 23 May, Gardiner Houlgate near Bath has a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner 5513 gentleman’s wristwatch, pictured top, featuring a rare 3-6-9 Explorer dial (£80,000–£120,000). Produced in very small numbers during the early 1960s, these models are extremely rare and therefore highly collectable. The watch was purchased in 1966 and has been worn regularly by a single owner during the past 52 years.