Dreweatts Fine Jewellery Sale Hits £532,000, Topping Estimates by 48 Percent

A Chaumet natural-pearl, seed-pearl and diamond sautoir dating from the 1920s was among the standout pieces at Dreweatts' Fine Jewellery auction on March 17, where the Newbury-based house achieved a total of £532,000, representing 148% of the presale estimate and a 90% sell-through rate across the sale.

Lot 176, the Chaumet sautoir, sold for £32,960. The piece is a canonical example of early Art Deco pearl work: the elongated sautoir format, characteristic of the 1920s silhouette, combined the lustre of natural pearls with the delicate texture of seed pearls and the precision of diamond accents, all from one of Paris's most storied maisons. Natural pearls of this era, formed without human intervention and predating the dominance of cultured pearl farming, are increasingly difficult to source intact in wearable jewellery, which bears directly on their market value.

Charlotte Peel, Head of Jewellery at Dreweatts, pointed to demand patterns that have now held across three consecutive sales. "Continuing the trend from our last two Fine Jewellery sales, the demand for Cartier and Art Deco pieces dominates the market," she said. "We were particularly delighted with the result for late 18th and early 19th century jewels, with the loveliest little target cluster ring achieving ten times its pre-sale estimate."

That cluster ring result, at ten times estimate, speaks to a sharper appetite for Regency and early Georgian pieces than the market had priced in. Target cluster rings of that period typically feature a central stone, often a garnet, ruby, or emerald, encircled by a ring of diamonds or paste, all set in closed-back silver or gold foil settings. When condition and provenance align, collectors are willing to move well beyond conservative catalogue valuations, as this result confirms.

The sale, held at Dreweatts' salerooms with ties to both Donnington Priory in Newbury and Pall Mall in London, spanned jewels from the Regency period through to contemporary designs. The house, which has operated as auctioneers and valuers since 1759, offered the range as a single-session fine jewellery auction, with the strong sell-through rate indicating broad buyer engagement rather than a result driven by one or two outlier lots.

The 48% overage against presale estimates is a meaningful figure: it suggests either conservative cataloguing, a competitive room, or both, and reinforces the pattern Peel described. For consignors holding signed Art Deco pieces or Georgian gem-set jewellery, the March results make a pointed case for timing.