A Birmingham auctioneer has announced its latest antique jewellery sale, with a reminder that its investment in experts means quality is assured.
Fellows & Sons has been based in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, UK, for 131 years: http://www.fellows.co.uk.
It puts on about eight sales of antique and modern jewellery every year.
The latest one is on Thursday 18th October 2007, starting at 10.30am.
And the firm employs a bank of experts to ensure only quality items make it through to the sale.
One of them is Claire Marsh, a gemmologist and jewellery valuer who has worked for the firm for three and a half years.
She said there are 970 lots in the latest sale – and they all have to be checked.
“We get a lot of people bringing some very good items in for us to value” Claire said. “However we also get some lower quality items as expected.
“You can normally quickly spot something that is of lower quality – for example bought from the internet or a chain store. If not, a closer examination normally reveals what it is.”
Claire has built up her knowledge with years of practical experience and still gets excited when a good item is first brought in.
She said: “It’s great when you get called down to reception to see and someone has some beautiful Victorian or Edwardian pieces. People inherit items, or they have been stored away for decades. Depending on what they are and the condition they’re in, sometimes they can be worth a significant amount of money. I love cataloguing European and old mine cut diamonds as they are less uniform in cut due to past cutting methods. In some ways that gives them more character.”
Claire also values modern jewellery items and enjoys cataloguing new designs and popular gemstones: http://www.fellows.co.uk/
You can view the full online catalogue at http://www.fellows.co.uk/
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
• A Fellows spokesman is available for interview. Call Mary-Ann Long on 0121 212 5500. Or email mary@fellows.co.uk
• Pictures are available on request
• Fellows & Sons is one of the UK’s oldest auctioneers, and is based in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham, UK. It was established in 1876 and remains a family business. It is rapidly becoming known as one of the UK’s most technologically advanced auctioneers, using the latest digital marketing techniques and internet bidding technology to open up real life auctions to buyers across the world
