Fine Art & Antiques

Luxury gifts: diamonds, watches and art deco brooches under the hammer

Put some sparkle under the tree this Christmas, or give the gift of time, with Cartier gem sets, yellow diamonds and Patek Philippe watches up for auction

Rare Tutti Frutti gem set and diamond broach by Cartier from the 1930s (€15,000-€20,000) at Adam's jewellery auction
Rare Tutti Frutti gem set and diamond broach by Cartier from the 1930s (€15,000-€20,000) at Adam's jewellery auction
Sylvia Thompson
Sat Nov 23 2024 - 05:00

Whether you’re drawn to retro chunky earrings, art deco brooches, Egyptian revival bracelets, diamond rings or Cartier watches, Irish antique dealers and auctioneers are ready and willing to meet your tastes.

People tend to spend more on luxury items when the economy is flourishing (and it is, in spite of ongoing housing, health and cost of living issues). And Christmas is, of course, a prime time for buying fine jewellery and watches, either as gifts or investments. Now, as the festive season fast approaches, auction houses and antique and vintage jewellers are gearing up to show their customers lots of variety in the next few weeks.

Claire-Laurence Mestrallet, head of the jewellery and watches department at Adam’s auctioneers, says Irish people have quite classic tastes when it comes to jewellery. “They will go for cluster rings, three-stone rings, tennis bracelets etc, but they also enjoy blending their styles,” she says, adding that art deco and 1940s-1950s retro French and Italian pieces are particularly popular here.

Such is the demand for such pieces, that Adam’s is separating out its fine jewellery and watches auctions for the first time this December, with the fine jewellery auction on Tuesday, December 3rd, at 4pm, and the watches auction on Thursday, December 5th, at 6pm. Both are on view from Friday, November 29th, in Adam’s showrooms on St Stephen’s Green, alongside the lots in the Important Irish Art auction (Wednesday, December 4th, at 6pm – of which, more next week).

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Diamonds from the Toi et Moi dress ring and earrings (€50,000-€60,000) set, which can be unscrewed and converted into a ring, pendant earrings or earstuds at Adam's jewellery auction
Diamonds from the Toi et Moi dress ring and earrings (€50,000-€60,000) set, which can be unscrewed and converted into a ring, pendant earrings or earstuds at Adam's jewellery auction
The diamond pendant earrings from the Toi et Moi set (€50,000-60,000)
The diamond pendant earrings from the Toi et Moi set (€50,000-60,000)
Twin diamond dress ring from the Toi et Moi set (€50,000-€60,000)
Twin diamond dress ring from the Toi et Moi set (€50,000-€60,000)

Mestrallet is particularly excited about a diamond Toi et Moi dress ring and earrings (€50,000-€60,000). “This exceptional piece of design has each principal diamond mounted on a fitting that can be unscrewed and converted into a ring, pendant earrings or earstuds,” she says. The principal diamonds weigh 3cts each and come with a laboratory certificate.

Another eye-catching item at the Adam’s jewellery auction is the rare Tutti Frutti gem set and diamond brooch by Cartier from the 1930s (€15,000-€20,000) “Tutti Frutti designs flourished throughout the 1930s as Cartier began to embrace the influences from India and the East to incorporate vibrant gemstone ornamentation,” says Mestrallet. She also points to a deep yellow diamond Piranesi ring (€30,000-€40,000), which, unlike colourless diamonds, has a golden glow due to the traces of nitrogen in the crystal structure.

Deep yellow diamond ring ((€30,000-€40,000), which has a golden glow due to the traces of nitrogen in the crystal structure.
Deep yellow diamond ring ((€30,000-€40,000), which has a golden glow due to the traces of nitrogen in the crystal structure.

Keeping watch

Ken Israel, who takes over as head of watches at Adam’s for the first of what will be two biannual watches auctions, notes some highly collectable and rare watches made by Swiss watchmakers Patek Phillippe and Rolex in the December 5th auction.

The Patek Phillippe Calatrava (€5,000-€8,000) is 'considered to be the most elegant timepiece in the history of watch-making'
The Patek Phillippe Calatrava (€5,000-€8,000) is 'considered to be the most elegant timepiece in the history of watch-making'

“The Patek Phillippe Calatrava (€5,000-€8,000) is considered to be the most elegant timepiece in the history of watch-making, with only about 15 known examples in existence,” says Israel.

Meanwhile, Courtville Antiques in Powerscourt Townhouse, South William Street, Dublin 2, is also gearing up for a busy Christmas season, following the launch of the latest issue of their Icons antique and vintage jewellery magazine earlier this month.

Front cover of latest issue of Courtville Antiques Icons antique and vintage jewellery magazine
Front cover of latest issue of Courtville Antiques Icons antique and vintage jewellery magazine

The magazine cleverly displays various collections by highlighting the tastes of high-profile personalities such as Princess Diana (who was fond of sapphires and, later, aquamarine gemstones); Polish-born Paris-based artist Tamara de Lempicka (who adored art deco jewellery); American actor Elizabeth Taylor (whose favourite gemstones were rubies and emeralds); and pop idol, Rihanna (who smashes all previous fashion rules, by wearing clusters of art deco brooches and antique gold chains).

Rihanna smashes fashion rules by wearing clusters of Art Deco broaches
Rihanna smashes fashion rules by wearing clusters of Art Deco broaches

Jewellery enthusiasts can also tune into Matthew Weldon’s popular podcast Gem Pursuit to hear about other jewellery trends, such as wearing multiple bangles on one arm and placing sets of brooches on your waist.

adams.ie, courtville.ie

Sylvia Thompson

Sylvia Thompson

Sylvia Thompson, a contributor to The Irish Times, writes about health, heritage and the environment

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