Three antique rings recently sold in a vintage jewelry auction at Fellows Auctions.

I’ve a co

nfession for you, my darlings: I’ve by no means purchased jewellery from an public sale home. Shocking, I do know. But it’s true! I discover auctions intimidating and I’ve by no means managed to push by way of the concern…till now.

I’ve partnered with my associates at Fellows in England to have my very first jewellery public sale expertise and share it with you right here in order that we are able to all grow to be public sale aficionados collectively!

You may affiliate jewellery auctions with both eBay tchotchkes or very very very costly museum items, however that’s a false impression. An enormous variety of the tons within the Fellows jewellery public sale I’m presently searching have beginning bids beneath £100 and public sale estimates beneath £500.

Yes, it’s in GBP, not {dollars}. Don’t get scared! We can do that! Current alternate charges imply that the greenback and the pound are very shut in worth. Use any on-line forex converter to make certain you have got your numbers straight.

The alternate fee is an enormous a part of why we’re speaking about this at the moment: are you aware how uncommon it’s for the greenback and the pound to be this shut?? We Americans must snap up that candy across-the-pond jewellery whereas the forex is in our favor.

Beautiful vintage and antique pendants and a ring listed in recent Fellows jewelry auctions.

Why would I wish to purchase jewellery at public sale?

Auctions are a chance to attain nice jewellery at good costs as a result of it’s a purchase order level near the start of the retail meals chain. Most jewellery shops supply jewellery from sellers, who purchase their jewellery from collectors, different sellers, or auctions.

Each time a chunk adjustments palms on this course of, its value goes up. When you purchase from an public sale home as a substitute of from a retail retailer, you skip two entire levels and subsequently two ranges of value enhance.

Auction homes even have high quality management procedures in place that merely don’t exist in additional informal jewellery shopping for conditions. Every piece in a Fellows jewellery public sale has been evaluated and authenticated by Fellows’ in-house jewellery specialists.

A late Victorian 9ct gold portrait miniature locket pendantrecently sold in a vintage jewelry auction at Fellows Auctions.

How does bidding work?

The key mechanics of auctions are the identical all over the place: bidders say how a lot they’re keen to pay for an merchandise and the individual with the very best bid on the finish of the public sale wins the merchandise. Don’t overlook that when you win an merchandise in a jewellery public sale, you’re obligated to purchase it for that quantity; a bid is a binding promise.

To place a bid, merely scroll to the merchandise’s itemizing within the present Fellows jewellery public sale, sort the quantity you’d wish to bid, and click on “place bid.” If somebody outbids you, you’ll obtain an e-mail notification after which you possibly can determine if you wish to add the next bid or settle for defeat.

If somebody locations a bid throughout the final 30 seconds of a Fellows public sale, the public sale will prolong the bidding time for that merchandise by a further 30 seconds in order that anybody who desires to position the next bid could accomplish that.

A late 19th century 15K gold turquoise double heart brooch sold in a jewelry auction at Fellows Auctions.

How do I do know what I’m shopping for?

Every itemizing in a Fellows jewellery public sale consists of the important thing details about the merchandise on the market, in addition to pictures. If you need extra, you possibly can contact Fellows to request extra photos or a arrange digital viewing.

A digital viewing lets you have a one-on-one Zoom assembly with a Fellows specialist to debate and think about any of the objects within the public sale that curiosity you. It’s mainly free private buying. The Fellows public sale specialist may assist clarify the shopping for course of to you, in case you are a first-timer like me.

If you get confused by any of the phrases within the itemizing, the useful Fellows Auction Terms Glossary is there to assist.

Don’t auctions have hidden charges?

Auctions do have charges, however at a good public sale home like Fellows, none of these charges are hidden. The overwhelming majority of Fellows jewellery tons ship totally free, and those that don’t provide free delivery are clearly marked.

If you win one thing in a Fellows jewellery public sale, you’ll pay the quantity of your bid (known as the “hammer value”) plus a Buyer’s Premium, which is 30% of the bid. You can use the Fellows Bid Calculator to calculate the ultimate value of your buy at any time.

Now that we’ve mentioned why one would wish to bid in a Fellows jewellery public sale and assuaged our fears, it’s time to get in there!

A midcentury vintage diamond cocktail watch sold in a recent Fellows jewelry auction.

How do I register to bid in a Fellows jewellery public sale?

Signing up by way of the Fellows web site may be very easy. You enter your title, handle, fundamental contact data, password, the whole lot you’ll anticipate. I used to be blissful to see that the registration type gives each “nonbinary” and “want to not say” as choices for the gender area. Yay, inclusivity!

That will get you an account, however there’s another step earlier than you possibly can place a bid: it’s a must to confirm your title and handle by way of Fellows’ Identity Checker. I uploaded a photograph of my Driver’s License, allowed the Identity Checker momentary entry to my webcam to verify that my face matched the picture I uploaded, and I used to be in!

(Pro tip: the Identity Checker was initially confused as a result of I used to be too far-off from my webcam. I needed to get shut sufficient to the digicam for my face to be the identical measurement because it was within the Driver’s License photograph I uploaded earlier than it accepted me.)

Here’s a peek at my very own Fellows wishlist!! This slideshow is all the tons I’m contemplating bidding on within the present public sale. It’s an epic two day jewellery sale that simply opened yesterday. Day 1 of the sale ends November eighth, Day 2 on November ninth, so go have a look proper now!

Click right here for Day 1 of the Fellows Jewellery Auction (ends November eighth, 2022)
Click right here for Day 2 of the Fellows Jewellery Auction (ends November ninth, 20
22)

What do you suppose, my darlings? Are you comfy bidding in jewellery auctions, or is it new to you too? Do you have got any recommendation for me on my public sale journey? Have you ever purchased something from Fellows?

This sponsored submit is dropped at you by Fellows. All photos c/o Fellows.


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