Editor’s Note
This article highlights the growing demand for second-hand jewelry at auctions in Lyon, where timeless pieces in gold, silver, and precious stones continue to captivate collectors and enthusiasts alike.
Bracelets, rings, necklaces, and other second-hand jewelry are attracting more and more auction enthusiasts. Gold, silver, and precious stones retain their seductive power intact.
Except for exceptional pieces, the second-hand jewelry market long focused on the Crédit Municipal, more commonly known as the Mont-de-Piété or “Ma tante,” before becoming an essential fixture in all Lyon auction houses today.
Good deals, even very good deals, can be made there, both as a buyer and as a seller, provided one takes the time to consult the online pre-sale catalogs beforehand. It should be noted that for each of these sales, the auctioneer is always assisted by an expert certifying the quality of the jewelry presented.
A few examples illustrate this enthusiasm, such as on June 11 under the hammer of Maîtres de Baecque & Associés, when a platinum ring centered with a half-carat diamond weighing 6.39 carats, color L, purity S12, and weak fluorescence found a buyer at 25,000 euros (excluding fees), its high estimate. Meanwhile, an Ombelle brooch-pendant in platinum entirely set with brilliant-cut and 8×8-cut diamonds, a model close to creations by jeweler René Boivin, shattered its announced estimate between 1,200 and 1,800 euros before being taken away for 34,000 euros (excluding fees).
Earlier, on May 27 under the hammer of Maîtres Bérard and Péron, a white gold and diamond necklace from the Astrale collection by Bulgari was finally adjudicated at 6,134 euros (fees included). Then, on April 24, this time at Médicis auctions on Rue Pierre Corneille, the latest arrival on the Lyon auction scene, an adjudication of 3,354 euros was pronounced by Maître Clément Schintgen on a surprising yellow gold bracelet composed of a series of six 20 Swiss franc coins. Another notable sale was a charming yellow gold pendant adorned with a cabochon emerald engraved with flowers, likely of Indian workmanship, which reached 5,120 euros.
Finally, on the border between fashion accessory and jewelry, we also noted in this April sale at Médicis Enchères a bid pushed up to 1,792 euros for this 1992 Meisterstück Montblanc Ernest Hemingway model, a classic among fountain pens from this illustrious writing house but a model now very difficult for collectors to acquire. Meanwhile, those nostalgic for a bygone world where tobacco smoke swirls were a daily occurrence were eyeing a very beautiful cigarette case offered by the house Artenchères on Tuesday, June 25. This model, in striped yellow gold with a clasp adorned with four calibrated sapphires, was estimated at 4,000 to 4,300 euros but was finally adjudicated at 7,820 euros (fees included).
It should be remembered before concluding that these sales certainly offer jewelry costing several hundred or even thousands of euros, as we have just seen, but also a large part of the sale is dedicated to pieces whose adjudication prices range from 100 to 500 euros.