Tuesday, 13th April 2004 (5032 views)

British gem expert and dealer David Morris has placed more than 400 pieces of jewellery from an Asian royal family on sale.

The Royal Vintage Collection, as Mr Morris has dubbed the jewellery, will be shown at a jewellery fair in Manhattan this month and can also be seen in Mr Morris' flagship London store and his Palm Beach salon.

Mr Morris has done business with the family in question for many years and the dealer, who has been buying and selling jewellery since the mid 1950s, was the obvious choice when they decided to sell a large selection of jewellery.

The Royal Vintage Collection is Mr Morris' first foray into estate jewellery sales, Palm Beach Daily News reports.

"That they chose us to sell their collection was extremely flattering," said Mr Morris. "The family didn't want to expose their collection at auction, and thought that by selling through us, [it] would make the whole process a little more genteel. These kinds of things normally come up at auction one or two pieces at a time. It's quite rare to be able to see a whole collection from one family."

The collection includes examples of 1980s and early 1990s pieces by Harry Winston, Cartier, Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, Chopard and Mauboussin. The lowest-priced estate piece is an 18-karat-gold Cartier elephant pin for $1,400, while the most expensive item is an unsigned $1.6 million gold and platinum necklace from the 1980s, featuring an array of white and yellow diamonds.

Ron Viejo, executive vice president and director of David Morris International's Palm Beach salon, valued the entire collection at more than $20 million.

 

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