Denhams Sells 44cm String of Graduated Cultured Pearls for £110

Denhams recorded Lot 122 as "A string of graduated cultured pearls" at 44 cm in the Necklaces, Bracelets & Chains section and the lot sold for £110. The catalogue line for Lot 122 ends mid-word with "estimate/bidd", so no estimate, provenance, clasp description or condition report for this entry is present in the supplied sale material.

That result sits alongside several other pearl offerings in the same Denhams sale on 25 February 2026. A Beijing cultured pearl necklace with a 14k clasp, also 44 cm and sold together with a pair of ditto ear studs, achieved £170. A strand described as a string of ochre coloured cultured pearls with a 2 colour 375 clasp at 54 cm sold for £180. By contrast, a strand of cultured pearls with a yellow metal 14k clasp at 43 cm sold for £70, and a double strand of cultured pearls, each approximately 4 mm with a yellow gold old cut diamond set clasp of approx. 0.5 ct at 50 cm sold for £70.

Other sale results in the same catalogue illustrate the range of vintage and maker signals present at this sale. A Cartier pearl stringing set contained in a leatherette case with outer cover sold for £180. An Edwardian yellow metal turquoise and seed pearl brooch/pendant measuring 5 cm x 3.5 cm sold for £400, and a yellow metal 750 gem set floral brooch set with rubies, sapphires, emeralds and seed pearls at 60 mm sold for £340. A white metal stamped 18k diamond and black pearl pendant on a ditto chain together with a pair of ensuite ear studs had a gross weight of 10.5 grams and sold for £110. The sale also included domestic silver with a set of Victorian silver fish eaters for six with mother of pearl handles, Sheffield 1895, which sold for £140.

Several entries in the supplied material carry technical stamps and gem details that matter to valuation: 15ct for multiple Edwardian yellow metal brooches, 750 and 18ct markings on gem and stud sets, 14k and 9ct clasps on necklaces, and explicit diamond weights where given - approx. 0.04 ct for certain ear studs and approx. 0.5 ct for the old cut clasp on the double strand. Where lots combined multiple items - for example a 9ct yellow gold cross pendant and ditto chain 42 cm together with multiple other pieces and a lady's 9ct yellow gold cased wristwatch - only the lot-level total is supplied; that combined lot sold for £360.

The supplied sale material also shows transcription ambiguities that affect interpretation. Two lots present multiple "SOLD FOR" figures: a set of yellow metal 18ct diamond, mother of pearl and black onyx studs appears with both "SOLD FOR £100" and "SOLD FOR £70", and an Edwardian yellow metal 15ct floral seed pearl set brooch and minor ear studs appears with both "SOLD FOR £110" and "SOLD FOR £100". No lot numbers other than Lot 122 are included in the supplied text, and no photographs or condition notes accompany the entries.

Denhams' full sale catalogue or online lot pages will be needed to confirm whether similar-length 44 cm necklaces were distinct lots and to clarify the missing estimate and duplicate sale lines. For now, Lot 122's £110 hammer result is a precise data point in a sale where recorded results ranged from £60 up to £400, illustrating how clasp metal, maker signals and documented condition influence the market for cultured and seed-pearl pieces.