Worcestershire attic jewellery collection sells for about £506,000, over three times its estimate

Mixed · 2A jewellery collection that sat in a grandmother's attic in Malvern, Worcestershire, for decades sold at auction for more than three times its pre-sale estimate. 1 2 Mixed · 2The Times of India gives the total as £506,750 and the Daily Mirror as £506,570. Both say auctioneers had valued the collection at around £150,000. 1 2 Centre · 1The Times of India says the sale had 201 lots, all of which sold, and was run by Chorley's Auctioneers at its Prinknash Abbey saleroom in Gloucestershire. It says buyers bid online and by telephone. 1

Left · 1The Daily Mirror instead says the sale took place in London on 21 October and quotes Joe Kendrick, head of sale at Elmwood's Auctions. It describes more than 200 years of jewellery history. 2 Centre · 1The Times of India says the top lot was a 1905 Cartier Belle Époque diamond and gemstone brooch in openwork platinum. It was estimated at £10,000 to £15,000 and sold to a telephone bidder for £48,000 before buyer fees. 1 Centre · 1It also reports a natural pearl and diamond necklace that sold for £34,000 after laboratory tests confirmed the pearls were natural saltwater pearls, a late Victorian sapphire and diamond cluster ring at £18,500, and Art Deco diamond dress clips that made more than £42,000 combined. 1

Left · 1The Daily Mirror mentions signed Cartier jewels, diamond pieces and Victorian animal brooches, without individual prices. 2 Centre · 1On the collection's origins, the Times of India says the late owner collected the pieces through the mid-20th century, inheriting some and buying others from London dealers and regional estate sales. Family members found them while preparing her Malvern home for sale, and specialists identified marks linked to Cartier, Boucheron and Garrard. 1 Left · 1The Mirror says the pieces were found in a house clearance earlier this year and had been built up over generations. It describes the grandmother as the current owner's grandmother, with later generations adding inherited pieces. 2

Mixed · 2Auction officials called the result exceptional. Werner Freundel of Chorley's called it "a wonderful outcome for the family", and the Times of India adds that the proceeds go to the grandmother's surviving heirs. Kendrick said the response from buyers "far exceeded our expectations". 1 2 Mixed · 2Auctioneers attributed the strong prices to the quality and condition of the pieces. The Times of India says many kept original settings and unpolished stones, while the Mirror says it is rare for so many items from different generations to stay together. 1 2