Get your designer fashion fix in the saleroom this September

Drop into Chiswick Auctions on a Tuesday morning and you will need to be quick to vie for a coveted chair in the saleroom, such is the number of people who are regularly in attendance. Featuring a weekly Interiors & Design sale alongside dedicated specialist sales, the lively auction calendar features everything from Jewellery to 20th Century Design, Fine Art to Designer Handbags & Fashion.

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A pair of diamond drop earrings: Each pear-shaped lobe, suspending an openwork drop, pavé-set throughout with brilliant-cut diamonds, diamonds approx. 8.10 carats total, clip and post fittings, length 3.8cm.
Estimate: £8,000-£12,000.
A yellow sapphire and diamond bracelet: The continuous articulated row of cut-cornered step-cut yellow sapphires, in double four-claw settings, between lines of brilliant-cut diamonds, diamonds approx. 3.65 carats total, French import mark, length 17.2cm.
Estimate: £4,000-£6,000

September is set to be a particularly busy month, with sales from the luxury departments including Jewellery and Watches on 12 September, closely followed by Designer Handbags & Fashion taking place on 26 September. It will also see the auction house open a new South Kensington branch that will provide an additional venue where people can receive complimentary valuations as well as hosting forthcoming sale highlights.

New Rubyb

A 6.51 carats Burmese ruby and diamond cluster ring.
Estimate: £8000 – £12,000.

The Jewellery and Watches auctions will be the first to preview in the new showroom and the remarkable lots on offer are suitable for such a landmark. The first highlight is a 6.51 carats Burmese ruby and diamond cluster ring with royal provenance offered in the Jewellery sale. This ruby ring is from the private collection of a British diplomat. With a career that spanned from the early 1950s to 1990, she worked predominantly in Asia as well as Europe during some of the most turbulent times of the 20th century. Her postings included Kathmandu, Peking, Moscow, Washington DC and London. Her close personal and diplomatic connections often made generous gifts, including this impressive ring which, by repute, was given by a member of a royal family in Asia. The sale also features a curated selection of pieces by Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, Tiffany & Co, Cartier and more.

Chiswick Auctions London Rolex submariner Sept 2017

Rolex. A stainless steel divers bracelet watch. Model: Submariner.  Reference: 5508. Date:1962.
Estimate: £8,000 – £12,000

Another highlight is a stainless steel Rolex Submariner—otherwise known as the James Bond Rolex—that is offered in the Watches sale. In 1953, French Navy diver Jacques Cousteau wrote The Silent World, a book that narrated his underwater explorations. This book and the Academy Award-winning film that followed forged a generation of recreational divers. Rolex’s response was to create a classic and versatile wristwatch that stands the test of time—the Submariner.

Rolex Submariner on white

Rolex. A stainless steel divers bracelet watch. Model: Submariner.  Reference: 5508. Date:1962.
Estimate: £8,000 – £12,000

On 5 October 1962, Ian Fleming’s fictional spy, James Bond, played by Sean Connery, made his cinema debut wearing the Submariner. Not only was the world’s most long-standing film franchise born, but it also immortalised this wristwatch. The sale also offers a curated selection of watches by Patek Philippe, TAG Heuer, Omega and Blancpain, to name a few.

Birkin

Hermes Rouge Vif Swift Birkin 35, date stamp for 2008, Palladium hardware, 35cm wide, 28cm high, with cloche, padlock and keys, rain jacket, dust bag and box.
Estimate: £5,000 – £8,000

The Designer Handbags & Fashion auction features a couple of Hermes Birkins—a bag that remains one of the world’s most desired fashion accessories. The highly coveted Birkin was the outcome of a chance meeting in 1983 between actress and singer Jane Birkin and Chief Executive of Hermes at the time, Jean-Louis Dumas. With the need for a bag more ‘boho’ in style, Birkin became the inspiration behind Dumas’s arguably most iconic creation.

Birkin Sept 2017

Hermes Rouge Vif Swift Birkin 35, date stamp for 2008, Palladium hardware, 35cm wide, 28cm high, with cloche, padlock and keys, rain jacket, dust bag and box.
Estimate: £5,000 – £8,000

The Birkin remains a high-performing investment; it has beaten both the stock market and gold as an investment class since its launch in 1984. The enduring appeal of buying a Birkin at auction resides in both the stringent production quota and a waiting list of over six months that not everyone is invited to join. At auction, however, a lucky buyer can bid in the room and walk away the same day, Birkin in tow.

Jewellery catalogue

Watches catalogue

Designer Handbags & Fashion (catalogue online 12 Sept)

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