The Tamesis
I knew nothing about auctions or jewelry. Can you educate me? How many pieces are there in this auction? How often do you make sales? How does it all work?
Therefore there are 197 lots in this auction. We hold jewelry sales twice a year – one in June and another in November. Often when it comes to selling jewelry, people ask which one is better to sell? June or November? But there really isn’t any better or worse. We hold sales during these months, as we often present our selection of jewelry in Geneva between May and early November. So this is a great way to get more exposure for our jewelry.
I assume a lot of planning goes into every sale?
Very much so. Since we only have two auctions per year, we need to be quite selective about the works we enter for auction. We typically sell 200 lots per auction, which sounds like a lot but is not. We have ensured that the 200 lots include antique jewellery, some more unusual pieces, as well as the obvious natural pearls and colored gemstones such as sapphires, rubies, emeralds, but also topazes, Paraiba tourmalines, spinels and aquamarines.
Diamonds also need a certificate; white diamonds and fancy color diamonds. In this sale we feature a selection of pink diamonds, as well as an impressive 66 carat orange-brown pear-shaped diamond.
But the other part is signature jewelry, if you will. I am referring to the works of Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron, Bulgari… There is a general interest in these big brands all over the world. We sell contemporary jewelry from these brands as well as their traditional jewelry.
We’ve written a lot about personal style. Algorithms and quiet luxury killed it, but now it seems people are trying to take theirs back. In that regard, have you noticed a desire for more distinctive work?
Over the past few years we have seen a growing interest in these works, but it is difficult to pinpoint the cause. What I’ve certainly noticed changing in the auction world is that in the post-Covid world, everything has become digital.
First of all, there is a lot of information about fine jewelry and therefore awareness has increased. Secondly, and most importantly, our sales are now primarily digital. Even with in-person sales, a lot of bidding takes place online. Since COVID-19, everyone’s online behavior has become more transactional. Now our audience has grown exponentially as well. Thirty or forty years ago, we printed catalogs and mailed them to collectors who were primarily fine jewelry specialists. And today, we put the auction online, with interest from all over the world.
So no more mallets and paddles?
These remain an important part of the process. In Geneva, Hong Kong and New York we hold so-called “grand auctions”, where a small number of special works are “under the hammer”. But many of the bidding on these sales are also done online. Works in these sales generally cost $250,000 and up, so where it makes sense, we use the auction block as a tactic to make it feel more special.
