Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Brooch with Queen Victoria connections set to glitter in North Yorkshire auction
11 September 2017This Victorian turquoise and diamond brooch is inscribed verso 'Had Belonged to Dear Grandmamma V. From Mama VR, 14th April 1871'. To Beatrice. It carries an estimate of £3000-5000 at Tennants in Leyburn on November 18.
Pick of the Week: Marble sculpture of cupid sets house record at Fieldings
11 September 2017Fieldings of Stourbridge set a new house record earlier this month when Emanuele Caroni’s (1826-76) marble sculpture of cupid taming the lion sold at £91,000 (plus 24% premium).
How Grima set Jermyn Street swinging in the Sixties
11 September 2017Something shocking happened on Jermyn Street in 1966. Among the more conservative of London shopping districts – the place for a badger-hair shaving brush or a decent pair of sheepskin slippers – at a stroke it became cool. The charismatic Italian émigré Andrew Grima (1921-2007) had opened a jewellery emporium.
Sworders offers Bakelite bangles
11 September 2017Jewellery designers of the 1930s and '40s were attracted to Bakelite, a plastic resin developed in 1907 for industrial purposes, as it was both hard enough to cut and polish and available in a wide range of colours.
Pendant marks start of the French Revolution
11 September 2017In May 1789, as the political and financial situation in France grew ever bleaker, Louis XVI was forced to summon the three estates – the clergy, nobility and commoners – who had the power to levy taxes and implement reform.
Buccellati jewelley on offer with aristocratic provenanace
11 September 2017Jewels by Buccellati, all from European aristocratic collections, feature in the jewellery auction at Dorotheum in Vienna on October 19.
Skinner brings a touch of colour
11 September 2017The coloured stones market remains strong, so Skinner can expect strong international competition for an antique sapphire pendant brooch (below) in Boston on September 19.
Butterflies on a high in Birmingham auction
11 September 2017The sale at Fellows (23/15% buyer’s premium) in Birmingham on July 31 included this Arts & Crafts pendant designed by Charles Robert Ashbee (1862-1942).
Pomander petal power at Woolley & Wallis
11 September 2017This 19th century gold, turquoise and peridot pomander is exceptional both in terms of size and quality.
Turkey's Stargazer claim sets ‘disastrous precedent’ says Christie’s
04 September 2017Christie’s has said Turkey’s claim to own an ancient Anatolian idol that has been on American soil for over half a century sets “a disastrous precedent for collectors, museums and the art market”.
All eBay final value fees now subject to VAT
04 September 2017For the first time eBay is applying VAT to the fees of its business sellers.
Pick of the Week: Doulton figure is big sale catch
04 September 2017It is well-known that the market for Royal Doulton HN series figures is at something of a low ebb. However, the exception to the general rule of bargain-basement prices comes for the small number of very rare figures that appeal to a core collecting base. Many end up in North America.
From the Coromandel Coast to the Wrexham exhibition
04 September 2017A group of six Indo-European solid ebony chairs (sold for £26,000 (plus 20% buyer’s premium) at Dawson’s of Maidenhead on August 26. The buyer bidding online via thesaleroom.com was from the London trade.
19th century ‘Grand Tour’ necklace with Roman intaglios emerges at Cheshire auction
29 August 2017A fine example of Grand Tour jewellery comes up for sale at Peter Wilson of Nantwich this month.
Sotheby’s tears up online-only pricing model
28 August 2017Sotheby’s has upped the ante in the digital auction space by scrapping buyer’s premium for online-only sales.
Government issues export bar on Scottish seal linked to Robert the Bruce
28 August 2017Culture Minister John Glen has placed a temporary export bar on a Scottish two-part seal matrix linked with Robert the Bruce.
Scam listings guides resurface
28 August 2017Dealers and auctioneers are again being targeted by scam guides that seek to extort large sums of money in return for inclusion in worthless trade listings.
Medieval brooch is much loved by bidders at Hansons auction
28 August 2017Seven phone bidders competed for this 15th century gold heart-shaped brooch, a medieval gift of love from the time of the Wars of the Roses, at Hansons in Derbyshire.
Pick of the Week: Chinese bustle and calm in one view
28 August 2017Large-scale paintings of intimate domestic scenes are unusual in Chinese art. The Chinese export reverse-painted glass painting of a young mother nursing her infant son offered at Northeast Auctions in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, earlier this month is thought to be one of only a handful of full-size versions painted of this once popular image.
Tribal clubs strike it hot at Elgin auction house
25 August 2017There was some good old-fashioned auction drama at the Elgin Auction Centre in Morayshire on August 23 when two lots of loosely-catalogued tribal clubs sold to online bidders for a combined £46,500.