Latest News Articles by Roland Arkell
Bonhams director of jewellery predicts continued growth in emerald prices
11 February 2019Jean Ghika, global director of jewellery at Bonhams, closed out 2018 on a positive note.
Burmese sapphire brooch brings its rich seam to Cumbria
11 February 2019Sapphires have been mined in Burma (now Myanmar) for over a millennium, the stones admired for their colour saturation and dark hues.
Remarkable pieces of Australian gold rush era jewellery appear at UK sales
11 February 2019Gold rush era jewellery from Down Under is a rare visitor to UK salerooms but, remarkably, several pieces have appeared for sale in recent months.
Masterworks by titans of French Art Deco jewellery design bring demand at Christie’s in Paris
11 February 2019Pictured here are two exceptional pieces of Art Deco jewellery sold by Christie’s Paris (25% buyer’s premium) for multi-estimate sums on December 4.
From Roman to retro: 12 jewellery highlights from Grays Antiques Market
11 February 2019Although the centre never closed during the Crossrail project, as that work winds down Grays Antiques Market now has a fresh chance to showcase the many exceptional dealers based in the Edwardian building on Davies Street in London. As one might expect near Bond Street, period jewellery, from Roman rings to 1970s retro, is the main stock in trade.
Rare Old Master draws admirers ahead of Philadelphia auction
08 February 2019A New York institution has consigned an intriguing Netherlandish devotional painting to Freeman’s sale in Philadelphia on February 27.
What lots caught bidders’ eyes in the last week? Five auction highlights including a Persian landscape and a mother-of-pearl casket
08 February 2019ATG’s selection of hammer highlights over the past week also include a German Neo-Expressionist painting and a set of Victorian photogenic drawings.
Eros sculpture is highpoint of The Fine Art Society sale at Sotheby’s
07 February 2019Casts of two key works from the New Sculpture movement topped Sotheby’s sale titled The Fine Art Society: 142 years on New Bond Street.
Pick of the week: The floral shell shock
04 February 2019Lovely bunch of blooms? A closer look reveals Irish Quaker’s conchological talent...
English delftware tankard raises toast to the Pelham Olive collection at Bonhams
04 February 2019Among the best performers at the Olive collection of early British ceramics, metalwork, furniture and treen sold at Bonhams on January 31 was this large English delftware tankard.
Government strengthens law to protect treasure finds
01 February 2019The government is proposing to strengthen the Treasure Act to include important finds that do not fit the current legal definition.
What lots caught bidders’ eyes in the last week? Five auction highlights including a replica 'Alfred Jewel' and a Chelsea squirrel
01 February 2019ATG’s selection of hammer highlights over the past week include a Chelsea white-glazed model of a red squirrel and a 17th century portrait miniature.
Chinese vase smashes Exeter saleroom record taking £460,000 at auction
31 January 2019The potential for vendors, and auctioneers, to strike it rich in the field of Chinese works of art is alive and well.
‘Best of its type’ Vigo five guineas sets auction record for British coin
28 January 2019An auction record for a British coin was set in New York when a 1703 Vigo five guineas piece sold at $900,000 (£703,000) – $1.08m (£845,000) including premium. The sale was conducted by Baldwin’s of St James’s as part of The New York Premier Sale in Manhattan on January 13.
Pick of the week: English tin-glazed earthenware cat jug claws its way to new owner
28 January 2019The precise function of the series of English tin-glazed earthenware seated cat jugs common to the 1650s-70s is unknown but, as many are dated and initialled, they may have been given as marriage or betrothal gifts.
Collection of Tipu Sultan treasure including gold-encrusted sword offered at Antony Cribb sale
28 January 2019Historical weapons from the personal armoury of Tipu Sultan will be offered for sale in Oxfordshire in the spring.
Rare Dresser armchair made for Art Furnishers’ Alliance makes 70-times estimate at auction
28 January 2019This Aesthetic movement X-frame armchair took £11,000 against an estimate of just £100-150 at Lawrences of Crewkerne.
What lots caught bidders’ eyes in the last week? Five auction highlights including a rare 17th century candlestick and an Arts and Crafts brooch
25 January 2019ATG’s selection of hammer highlights over the past week include a pencil collection, a rare candlestick and an Arts and Crafts brooch.
Rediscovered Bowie songs come to auction in Merseyside
24 January 2019A copy of a previously unheard studio recording made by a young David Bowie comes up for sale at auction next week.
Totals remain steady in the UK regions – ATG's review of the auction market for 2018
21 January 2019Salisbury saleroom Woolley & Wallis regained top spot in the UK regional auction market for 2018, while the investment at Chiswick Auctions has begun to bear fruit. These were just two of the findings in ATG's annual review of the hammer totals and trends at some of the leading salerooms in the UK and Ireland.