Looking for a Valentine's Day lover to go the "whole nine yards" at jewellery auction
Author: Richard Brewster | Posted: 8th February, 2019
A five-carat heart shaped gold and diamond ring (lot 88) might be just the ideal slightly belated Valentine’s Day gift for those auction goers willing to go the “whole nine yards” at Philips Auctions first jewellery auction for the year and fork out an estimated $50,000-$60,000 on that special someone.
If not, there are plenty of other romantic ruby, diamond, emerald and sapphire contenders at this particularly interesting jewellery sale from 6pm Monday February 18 at 47 Glenferrie Road, Malvern.
Noon Sunday February 17 is start of the decorative arts auction at the same venue with a well-known Armadale entity wishing to free up capital – so he is offering Renee Lalique vase (lot 238 – catalogue estimate $13,000-$18,000) among several other pricy items.
These include a pair of George Barris limited edition photographs of Marilyn Monroe (lot 293), originally taken in 1962 and later issued in 1982 to mark the 20th anniversary of her death.
Other items to feature from his collection are a 1990s Swiss made Jaeger-LeCoultre ‘Atmos’ four glass brass clock, a 1920 art deco bronze female nude by Claire Colinet (1880-1950) and a 1925 athletic bronze by Pierre Le Faguays (1892-1962) – lots 82 and 83.
This auction features quite a collection of art deco bronze figures (lots 53-91) along with animal light creations (lots 110-125).
Stewart Devlin sterling silver is another strong auction attraction (lots 181-193), particularly a 1977 silver jubilee letter opener (lot 181) and a silver jubilee surprise egg (lot 192).
There also is a selection of fine French furniture, including commodes and side cabinets, and Persian rugs from a homes in Toorak and Malvern.
Managing director Tony Philips is confident the 2019 auction year for decorative arts and jewellery will remain strong despite Australia’s softening housing market and the crisis surrounding the country’s banking industry following the findings of the Hayne royal commission.
“People are still looking to invest in quality easily resaleable items such as fine furniture, silver, porcelain and jewellery no matter what else is happening in the economy,” he said.
