Champagne after Chameroy Sale
26th October 2023
The 24th October saw another ‘white glove’ sale for the Jewellery department at Woolley and Wallis, who sold every one of the 213 lots in the Jean-Louis Chameroy collection – many for a price well above the estimate.
Collectors fought over many of the lots in the unusual single-owner sale, which provided them with a unique opportunity to bid on a curated collection of mostly 18th century gems.
“The extent of this collection made it look as if Georgian and early Victorian jewels are fairly commonplace, whereas they are actually rarely seen on the open market,” explained Jewellery specialist, Marielle Whiting. “Jean-Louis Chameroy put this collection together over a long period of time using the knowledge he gained from decades in the jewellery trade, and it is extremely rare for a collection of this significance, quality and condition to come up at auction. This has definitely been reflected in some of the high prices achieved.”
Among the top lots was a Fabergé aventurine quartz, ruby and diamond scent bottle pendant (lot 109). Dating from the late 19th century, it was one of the more ‘modern’ pieces of the collection, but sold for a premium-inclusive £20,160.
Proving that intrinsic value was of less significance in this auction, a rare ‘Queen Anne’ paste necklace (lot 119) sold for £11,340; while another of amethyst colour (lot 124) fetched £7,308.
The auction included a number of bagues au firmament rings, set with diamonds on blue glass to emulate the night sky. These French rings were designed in the 18th century to celebrate the news that Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were expecting an heir. The finest example (lot 150) sold for £12,600.
Some pieces had a documented past, and a pink topaz brooch (lot 195) with a detachable cross pendant had been previously illustrated in Ginny Redington Davies’ and Olivia Collings’ book Georgian Jewellery: 1714-1830. It attracted strong interest and sold for £18,900.
The last lot of the day did not disappoint; an 18th century diamond and paste brooch formed as a bow (lot 213) sold for £16,380. In all, the sale concluded with a premium-inclusive total of £591,380.
