Auction house Bonhams claims that “the value of antique and period jewelry has increased by more than 80% in the past decade”, according to Art of Jewelry. Demand has increased to the extent “estimates have been surpassed as items fetch double their predicted prices”.
According to the report, “Art Deco pieces from the 1920s and 1930s, and Belle Époque styles made between 1890 and 1915, have performed the best, rising 88% in value since 2006, while Bonhams dating from 1945 to 1975 rose by 70%”.
According to Jean Ghika, Bonhams’ head of jewelry for the UK and Europe, “People tend to think designer pieces of jewellery are very obviously branded by their creators, but that’s not always the case. The identifying marks of many leading designers can be incredibly subtle”. For example, a brooch in a girl’s dressing-up box was actually a “gold, pearl and emerald Verdura Camel brooch made by Fulco Santostefano della Cerda, Duke of Verdura, in 1952. It sold at Bonhams for £9,600 ($12,450) in 2006”.
