On December 6th Roseberys’ Jewellery & Watches Sale will go under the hammer, featuring a varied selection of jewels spanning the Medieval era to the present day. Included in the sale is a private collection of jewellery by the British designer Theo Fennell, whose extravagant designs earned him the moniker the ‘king of bling’. The collection of nine lots includes three rings and one bangle of skull design (lots 45, 47, 48, 50) – a recurrent motif in Fennell’s work – as well as a brooch in the form of a bee, the body set with a pear cut emerald and a pear cut natural fancy intense yellow diamond, which carries a pre-sale estimate of £15,000-20,000.

 


Lot 425: Theo Fennell. An 18ct gold emerald and diamond bee brooch

 

The sale features a diverse and wearable selection of coloured stone rings from sought-after localities, including lot 429, a sapphire and diamond ring, the unheated sapphire from Sri Lanka (Ceylon), with an estimate of £4000-6000; lot 427, a yellow sapphire and diamond ring with an unheated yellow sapphire of approximately 20.50 carats, also from Sri Lanka; lot 404, a Paraíba tourmaline and diamond ring; and lot 428, an emerald and diamond ring, the emerald from Columbia. Origin is an important value factor for coloured gemstones, as particular historic sources often become associated with certain superior qualities, as well as greater rarity. 

 


Lot 429: A sapphire and diamond ring

Amongst items of good provenance being offered is a selection of jewellery from the collection of Viscount Harberton. Highlights from the collection include two Belle Époque bracelets, one set with diamond and with an estimate of £8,000-10,000, the other with opal and diamond (lots 434, 410), as well as a Victorian garnet and diamond fly brooch (lot 30). These pieces are coming fresh to the market, having been in the family collection for decades.

 


Lot 434: A Belle Époque platinum and diamond flexible bracelet


One highlight of the sale is lot 435, an important emerald-cut diamond ring, weighing an impressive 10.35 carats, and with an estimate of £80,000-120,000. The sale also features a wide selection of more modestly sized diamond rings, including lot 433, a brilliant-cut diamond ring with an estimated weight of approximately 3.30 carats, as well as four single stone diamond rings in the 1.00 – 1.50 carat range (lots 36, 362, 421, 12) – perfect for those considering a Christmastime proposal!

 


Lot 435: An important diamond single stone ring

We are pleased to include a strong selection of watches, featuring a Rolex Explorer Reference 5500 (lot 313) with gloss dial and 70’s bracelet, a sought after ‘dirty dozen’ Timor wristwatch (lot 314) and a rare military issue Lemania single button chronograph (lot 315). Unusual coloured and stone dials remain popular this season and we are delighted to include a beautiful yellow gold Rolex bracelet watch with unusual dégradé  dial (lot 328) and a fun Corum wristwatch with aventurescent goldstone glass dial (lot 339), perfect for the holiday season ahead.

 


Lot 313: A stainless steel Rolex automatic bracelet watch

Two final highlights, both department picks, are lot 396, an 18th century gold diamond ring, and lot 395, a Georgian diamond brooch in the form of a lyre. The ring dates to around 1770, and the brooch to around 1820, and both are really fantastic and textbook examples of jewels from their respective eras. The ring is set with a table cut diamond in the closed back rosette setting so typical of the period, and both are in excellent condition.
 



Lot 396: An 18th century gold diamond ring