Love birds fly at Jewellery auction
3rd February 2023
A lover’s gift from over 250 years ago has sold for £20,000 at auction, after being revealed as a rare surviving example.
The delicate enamel, ruby and diamond ring (lot 364) featured a pair of billing doves among branches and came to light after being consigned to Woolley and Wallis in Salisbury by a local vendor.
It was conservatively estimated at £800-1,200, although indications before the sale indicated that the doves might ‘fly’.
“Rings of this construction are extremely fragile – enamel chips and cracks easily and the small stones can fall out of antique settings, so to come across an example in such fresh condition after more than two centuries is incredible,” said Jewellery specialist Marielle Whiting.
The ring, which was made in France during the middle of the 18th century, would probably have been a present between betrothed lovers and is inscribed to the inside with sentiments of love and affection.
“Unlike the rows of engagement rings that you can see in any modern jewellers, this ring was a one-off – carefully designed and inscribed for the lucky recipient. It is clear from the condition that whoever it was treasured it and looked after it. We are fortunate that it has been similarly cared for by whoever inherited it in the intervening generations,” continued Whiting.
Bidding on the ring very quickly took off when it came up for auction on 2nd February with eager potential buyers participating online and over the telephone. It rapidly overtook its pre-sale estimate and even soared past pre-sale hopes of £10,000 before landing on its premium-inclusive price of £20,000, being sold to a London dealer.
“There were more intrinsically valuable jewels from the same period in the auction, but a piece like this is worth so much more than the sum of its parts,” explained Whiting. “Fine jewels, and especially diamonds, are often seen as the true symbols of love, but how much more alluring is this detailed ring with such individuality and charm?”
Among the more traditionally modern pieces, the auction included a Kashmir sapphire and diamond ring at £35,000, a pair of Cartier Art Deco diamond clips at £25,000, and a Van Cleef & Arpels diamond feather brooch at £32,500.
