Story Highlight
– Late 19th Century necklace sold for £80,000 at auction.
– Necklace exceeded pre-sale estimate by four times.
– 15th Century ring sold for £17,000, surprising seller.
– Indian film star’s collection generated £58,000 in sales.
– Auction house aims to expand jewellery business in 2025.
Full Story
A stunning late 19th Century necklace featuring conch pearls and diamonds fetched £80,000 at a recent auction held by Noonans in Mayfair, surpassing its highest pre-sale estimate by a significant margin. The piece, crafted by the renowned London jeweller Hancocks and Co, has remained within a single family line since its creation. After what the auction house described as vigorous bidding, a buyer from the UK secured the necklace for the impressive hammer price.
Among other notable sales, a 15th Century enamelled “Blood of Christ” ring reached £17,000, exceeding its estimated value of £5,000 to £7,000. Metal-detectorist Andrew Riley, who discovered the ring close to Northallerton in North Yorkshire, expressed surprise at the high final sale price, despite recognising its uniqueness.
Additionally, a collection belonging to Indian Hindi film star Mehtab Modi saw nearly 30 pieces auctioned off, garnering a total of £58,000. These items were sold by Modi’s family following an evaluation event at Noonans in Hampstead. Highlighting this collection was an 18ct gold and enamel Swiss minute repeating calendar watch, previously owned by Modi’s husband, Sohrab Modi, which sold for £9,000, well above the estimated £4,000 to £6,000.
Another noteworthy item was an 18ct gold and diamond ‘Chelengk’ brooch/pendant, inspired by the “Plume of Triumph” awarded to Admiral Lord Nelson by Sultan Selim III post the 1798 Battle of the Nile. This piece also performed notably, selling for £7,000 against a pre-sale estimate of £3,000 to £4,000.
Frances Noble, who heads the jewellery department at Noonans, stated, “We were thrilled with the result achieved for the beautiful late Victorian fringe necklace. A very good example of its type, incorporating rare pink conch pearls and natural saltwater pearls, it far exceeded expectations, illustrating the current strength of the auction market for fine period jewels.”
These auction results coincide with Noonans’ ongoing expansion of its jewellery division, which was added to their sales calendar in 2025. The auction house reported an impressive total hammer price of £17.1 million across all its departments that year.
