Waddington’s Fall 2013 Fine Jewellery Auction

By: Donald McLean

Diamond Magazine Cover

An auction with something for everyone

Waddington’s 12th and final jewellery auction of 2013 offers 130 premier lots selected from consignments over the last six months.

Although many of the jewellery items in this catalogue represent single item consignments by members of the public, there are also larger consignments from an estate of a prominent Toronto family and the Ontario Public Guardian And Trustee. The items we hold for these catalogue auctions are not selected solely for their high value, they are also selected for their unique characteristics and a high quality of craftsmanship which warrants their place here in the Fine Jewellery Auction. The result is an auction composed of a wide variety of content, with something for everyone.

The catalogue cover features a fine 19th century silver and gold bow brooch set with an unusually cut oval diamond which appears to be much larger than its 2.25ct weight, in a mount studded with another 9 carats of bright old cut diamonds. Before platinum was widely available, silver was the metal of choice for setting diamonds, and the large facets on the old cut stones in this brooch would have made it come alive in the candle and lamp light of its period.

Inside the catalogue you will find a selection of beautiful gemstone rings. High-quality rubies are getting very scarce in the market as colour-enhanced stones are becoming more common place, and we are very pleased to have a selection of five rings set with fine rubies, including a 4-carat stone certified as not heat treated or enhanced. There are three jade and diamond rings, all of good quality, but all different in look and design, and a ring set with an aquamarine of exceptional colour and clarity. For our buyers who are looking for something a little different in coloured stones, there are also rings set with a brilliant green peridot, a vivid violet-blue sapphire, and a rich maroon coloured rhodolite garnet.

The auction features 12 solitaire rings with diamonds of more than one carat in weight, with four being over the two carat mark. Of particular interest in this auction is a variety of rings, earrings and pendants set with fancy yellow diamonds including a 0.64ct. pear cut GIA certified as natural fancy intense green-yellow, a very unusual colour.

The market for fine vintage wristwatches is as strong as ever, and the back of our catalogue features a classic collectible watch. The LeCoultre “Mystery” Watch is unique in its lack of any hands on the dial. Diamonds, seemingly floating over the dial, denote the time in this rare automatic wind example of this famous watch model. We are also pleased to have another classic in the auction, a 1950’s example of the Patek Philippe Calatrava, one of the most desirable of the Patek models.

We invite you to enjoy the catalogue, preview and auction of this varied collection of fine examples of jewellery and watch making.

View the Auction Catalogue


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