DIAMOND RING SPARKLES AT
SOUTH WALES’S NEWEST SALEROOM
Selling price is £33,000 ‘defining moment’
Report by Christopher Proundlove
A diamond solitaire ring sold for a stunning £33,000 at the Cardiff saleroom of Rogers Jones Co, prompting auctioneer Ben Rogers Jones to describe the moment the hammer fell as a defining moment for the newly-established South Wales arm of the leading family firm of fine art and antiques auctioneers.
“I regard this fantastic result as a reward for the hard work put in by the auction team in establishing Rogers Jones Cardiff as a friendly and professional company which can compete at the highest level,” he said.
“The family who owned the ring had existing relationships with the London salerooms as well as a large auction house which specialises in sales of jewellery, yet they decided to entrust us with the sale having witnessed the strong prices we continue to achieve in our sales here in Cardiff. This was an extremely pleasing result – a defining moment following our opening less than eight months ago – and bodes well for the future.”
The ring was set in 18 carat gold with a single brilliant-cut diamond measuring 6.7 carats. The gold had been assayed (tested) by the Birmingham Assay Office in 1999 and the clarity and colour of the stone graded as VS and K/L respectively, indicating that it was only slightly occluded and faintly yellow, both features which made the ring highly desirable. It was purchased by a prestigious North of England jeweller bidding online who, with charges, paid £39,600 to take it home.
There was also a happy owner of a good and rarely worn 18 carat gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual man’s wristwatch with the sought-after graphite blue dial, the watch paired with a matching 14 carat Rolex bracelet, which sold for £2,500.
Highlight among antique furniture in the sale on Friday April 4 was an oak coffer-bach carved a stylistic design of tulips and the date 1794. The coffer had a single drawer with original swan-neck handles at its base and stood on bun feet. It sold for £2,100 against an estimate of £1,300-1,600.
A high quality Edwardian inlaid mahogany cabinet-sideboard with large single concave glazed centre door flanked by open shelves sold for £880.
Top priced lot in ceramics, meanwhile, was an important Swansea porcelain two-handled bowl, decorated in London with floral sprays of tulips and ranunculus in Sevres style, which sold on estimate for £1,500. It had been purchased by the vendor at the sale of the Sir Leslie Joseph Collection of Swansea pottery in 1992.
Also of local interest – but hardly for a collector’s china cabinet – was an imposing trio of cast iron street lamp standards made between 1817 and 1885 by the same Glasgow company that manufactured the bandstand in Grange Park and the Louis Samuel Memorial Fountain, both in Cardiff, and the Robert & Lucy Thomas Memorial Fountain in Merthyr Tydfil.
Previously located in a private garden in the Swansea area, the three lamp standards, each standing more than five feet tall (160cms) were marked with the foundry company’s name: W. MacFarlane Co., and decorated with raised floral swags running the length of the columns which terminated in claw feet on acanthus feet. They sold for £1,000.
Entries are now invited for a sale of Antiques & Fine Art on May 2 and for the Welsh Sale, a celebration of Welsh art and artists on May 24. For further information, please contact the auctioneer on 02920 708125 or cardiffinfor@rogersjones.co.uk
