Ring

It was on the battlefield of Balaclava on October 25, 1854 that the name of James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan (1797-1868) first became etched into public memory.

A local family that could trace a clear line back to the 1750 was the consignor of this gold, white enamel and citrine mourning ring to Henry Adams in Chichester.

Estimated at just £150-200, a sardonyx cameo ring sold to a dealer for £39,000 (plus 20% buyer’s premium) at auction.

Heritage Auctions’ Fine Jewelry Signature sale in New York on December 3 includes two rings by London-based designer and virtuoso goldsmith Elizabeth Gage.

Woolley & Wallis followed the Shannon collection with a mixed-owner sale on November 1. Together the auctions brought a premium-inclusive £2.1m.

From c.1969-75, Charles de Temple (b.1929) – the son of the American film actor Tom Mix – created his series of ‘nervous jewels’, employing prickly cultural designs in two-coloured gold wire. This 18ct gold and beryl dress ring is a good example.

A remarkable collection of early rings was offered by Hansons (20% buyer’s premium) in Etwall, Derbyshire, this summer.

This Tudor period gold finger ring with the initials RB was found by a detectorist on land to the west of Crewkerne in 2017.

An iconographic gold ring – perhaps once belonging to a bishop or senior member of the clergy in the Yorkshire area – sold for £7100 at Hansons (20% buyer’s premium) in Etwall, Derbyshire.

The December 6 jewellery sale at Roseberys (23% buyer’s premium) was the maiden auction for new head of department Mark Bowis.

A gold memorial ring made for one of Nelson’s ‘Band of Brothers’ – and containing a lock of the Admiral’s hair – sold for £20,000 (plus premium) at Duke’s of Dorchester on December 7.

The £1.1m paid for this Graff yellow diamond ring at Fellows on December 7 makes it the top price achieved in the UK regions this year.

A heartbreaking letter dated March 1916 enclosing a diamond ring found by a dealer in a Victorian chest of drawers he bought at a recent IACF Shepton Mallet fair has sparked an intriguing search.