Auctioneers

Jewellery 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.

In 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.

Jewels by Buccellati, all from European aristocratic collections, feature in the jewellery auction at Dorotheum in Vienna on October 19.

The coloured stones market remains strong, so Skinner can expect strong international competition for an antique sapphire pendant brooch (below) in Boston on September 19.

ATG’s weekly selection of items on sale at auctions and dealerships.

By serendipity rather than design, Dawson’s (20% buyer’s premium) August 26 sale in Maidenhead, Berkshire, included several fine Indian works of art. Just the type of entries appealing to a broad and informed audience that can help put a fledgling saleroom on the map (Dawson’s held its first sale this January).

Breathing quality, this 22ct gold, pocket watch, below, was by an apparently unrecorded maker but nevertheless pitched at a positive £3000-3200 at Tamlyns’ (18% buyer’s premium) sale at Bridgwater on August 30.

A small white zip-up bag used by Neil Armstrong to bring samples of lunar material back to earth following the historic Apollo 11 moon landing of 1969 was the star lot in a Space Exploration sale held by Sotheby’s New York (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) on July 20.

One of the less commonly known facts about Sir John Bernard Partridge (1861-1945), the lead cartoonist at Punch magazine, was that he had a spell as an actor in his youth.

A collection from someone with a famous relative will normally prick up the ears of any self-respecting auctioneer.

The 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).

This 19th century gold, turquoise and peridot pomander is exceptional both in terms of size and quality.