Antiques Roadshow

Collectors in Asia are driving antique and period jewellery auction prices skywards

By Annie Darling

At July’s Phillips Jewels and Jadeite sale in Hong Kong, an exceptional 12.55-carat diamond ring, circa 1953, went under the hammer for an eye-popping US$1.1 million. Designed by Harry Winston with an enormous centre stone and clean-cut silhouette, the design epitomised the luxury and optimism of the post-war era. And at a Sotheby’s auction last year, an art deco emerald- and diamond-set necklace made for Hélène Beaumont, an American socialite and close friend of Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, sold for nearly US$3.6 million to an Asian collector—more than twice what it fetched in 1994. These sales are indicative of the buoyant market for high-quality period pieces, as well as art deco’s rising popularity in Asia. “There is certainly an increased interest in antique and period jewels in Asia compared…

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Tatler Hong Kong (Digital) - 1 Issue, September 2020

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