Contents

The ring and its result
Why the maker's name matters
What this means for luxury watch and jewellery buyers

A ring by the London jeweller David Morris was the top lot at Christie's recent Exceptional Jewels & Objects of Elegance: A Connoisseur's Collection – Part 1 sale, reports Rapaport. It sold for CHF 1.4 million ($1.6 million). The November 10 auction brought in CHF 20.9 million ($25.2 million) in total, with pieces from Van Cleef & Arpels, Graff, Boucheron and Chopard also on offer.

The centre stone is a 14.63-carat diamond graded fancy orangey-pink. Carat is the unit used to weigh gemstones. "Fancy" is the term graders use for diamonds with strong natural colour. "Orangey-pink" means pink is the main colour, with a secondary orange tint.

The stone is an emerald cut. This is a rectangular shape with cut corners and long, step-like facets that show off the clarity and colour of a stone. Its clarity grade is VVS1, which stands for "very, very slightly included". Any tiny internal marks are extremely difficult to see, even under magnification. Triangular-shaped diamonds sit on either side of the centre stone.

Christie's had estimated the ring at CHF 1.3 million to CHF 2.1 million ($1.6 million to $2.5 million). The hammer result landed toward the lower end of that range. That is a sound result for a single, very specific piece. It says nothing fixed about what other David Morris jewellery is worth. Every piece is judged on its own stones, condition and history.

At this level, the centre stone carries much of the value. Even so, Christie's catalogued the ring under the name of the house that made it, and that is common practice for signed pieces. A "signed" piece is one marked by its maker, usually with the house's name engraved somewhere discreet on the metal. The signature tells a buyer who designed and made the setting, and it connects the piece to that house's standards of craftsmanship.

For a London house such as David Morris, the signature usually works alongside other evidence. Jewellery made or sold in the UK will normally carry hallmarks. These are official stamps confirming the precious metal content, and they often include a maker's or sponsor's mark identifying who submitted the piece for testing. Original boxes, receipts and certificates add to the picture. For a significant coloured diamond, an independent gemmological report confirming the colour and clarity grades is especially important.

All of this together forms a piece's provenance: the documented record of where it came from and who has owned it. A strong record makes a signed piece easier to identify and easier to sell on.

Most David Morris jewellery on the pre-owned market is far removed from a top auction lot. The same checks still apply, though. A signature on its own can be faked or added later. Buyers should treat the engraving as one clue among several.

Look at the quality of the marks. Genuine engravings tend to be crisp, neat and well placed. Check that hallmarks match the metal and look consistent with the piece's age. Ask what paperwork comes with it. If the history is unclear, a jeweller can ask the house whether its records can confirm the piece.