The end of the year is always an exciting time for jewel lovers. Auction houses tend to save their best for last, and so it is with the autumn jewellery sales coming up this year from the biggest players: Christie’s, Phillips, and Sotheby’s.
Auctions have been a bright spot in the luxury industry, with reports from auction houses of increasing sales and—vitally—the entrance now of younger bidders and buyers. Gen Z and millennial clients are getting a taste of what is on offer: a far more varied, unpredictable and even at times estoeric selection than you can find in the vitrines of glossy luxury boutiques of today.
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It’s certainly the case with jewellery. In addition to headlining fancy coloured diamond lots, which seem these days to be the ne plus ultra of investment gemstones, there is also the wide world of vintage and antique pieces. Jewels that come from decades past, that represent key moments in art and design history; discontinued treasures from great houses that nonetheless hold their value and exult in timeless beauty; and even pieces with provenance and history—names of royalty, nobility or celebrity, the gloss of past lives that give a jewel an even richer value.
Sotheby’s might be the leading go-t0 for jewels with such histories. The auction house debuted its Royal & Noble Jewels sale in 2024, and has since made a tradition of curating superb jewellery that once lived in the collections of actual royalty or nobility. The most attention-grabbing lot this year is the Romanov sapphire, an almost unbelievably impressive 197.80ct sapphire mounted by Cartier on a diamond bracelet that used to be part of the Imperial Russian crown jewels.
At an auction like this, you might learn some things even if you’re just looking. The names of great old jewellers like the House of Bolin, Lacloche Frères, or Mellerio dits Mellers, for example. The latter crafted an exquisite diamond tiara owned by a Countess of Paris in the 19th century, and which can be transformed into a necklace that holds stylish weight even today.
You might also be surprised by how different and how innovative jewellery nearly a century old can be. A great example is this Passe-Partout creation by Van Cleef & Arpels, also going under the hammer at Sotheby’s Royal & Noble Jewels in Geneva. The design was first introduced by the Parisian house around 1939, and has a stylistic versatility that is impressive even today. Formed of a tubogas gain with two sapphire-set flower brooches, the jewel can be worn in two styles as a necklace—one wrapped, one a lariat—, as a bracelet, as a belt, or simply as brooches. Multi-wear versatility that’s as fresh today as it was in 1939.
Here, a look at Vogue Singapore’s picks of the jewels going under the hammer this autumn.
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JAR Éventail earrings in lapis lazuli with diamonds
Few are the jewels that compare to those by the masterful Joel Arthur Rosenthal. These fan earrings are one of the jeweller’s signature shapes, and wear like a feat of engineering: two sides with a spring-loaded clip that is secure yet not tight. Most other Éventail earrings that appear at auction are crafted in aluminium—this one in lapis lazuli bordered by rows of single-cut diamonds is a rare treat. — Gordon Ng, watches & jewellery editor
The Geneva Jewels Auction: VII by Phillips, on 9 November 2026
Lot 398
Estimate: CHF75,000–100,000
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Hennell cultured pearl and diamond necklace
This Hennell cultured pearl and diamond necklace takes its inspiration from a cherished heirloom presented to Queen Victoria in 1888 to mark her Golden Jubilee. When the original piece became part of the royal collection, Queen Mary commissioned her favourite London jeweller to reinterpret the design. A standout at this Phillips auction, the necklace features a series of diamond-encrusted flowers, each centred with a pearl. Hennell, whose origins date back to the early 17th century, was among London’s prominent silversmiths, supplying jewellery to royal families and members of the aristocracy. — Alexis Teo, watches & jewellery editorial assistant
The Geneva Jewels Auction: VII by Phillips, on 9 November 2026
Lot 336
Estimate: CHF125,000–180,000
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Mellerio dits Meller diamond tiara
Jewellers and luxury houses love to talk about heritage and history, but few can match Mellerio dits Meller. Founded in Paris in 1515, and held even today by the family for 15 generations, Mellerio is a true connoisseur’s if-you-know-you-know name. Historic jewels, as such, should come as little surprise. At Sotheby’s upcoming Royal & Noble Jewels sale is this remarkable circa 1864 tiara set with old mine- and rose-cut diamonds that traces its lineage back to the collection of Marie Isabelle of Orléans, the Countess of Paris. What’s fascinating is how even as we reference the past today, so too did designers nearly two centuries ago. The Greek key design comes from classical antiquity, and follows the neoclassicism of the tiara’s era—a time when French decorative arts burnished its prestige by looking to the old world. The splendour of this jewel (which can be transformed into a necklace) is testament to everlasting beauty. — Gordon Ng, watches & jewellery editor
Royal & Noble Jewels by Sotheby’s, on 12 November 2026
Lot 1072
Estimate: CHF300,000–500,000
4 / 6
Cartier Art Deco ink pen case in yellow gold, nephrite and rock crystal, with onyx, coral, diamonds, mother-of-pearl, lacquer and marquetry
Grand Parisian jewellers like Cartier are known far and wide, obviously, for their jewels and at times timepieces. What’s rarer and exists in far fewer numbers in our times are stupendous objets d’art—impossibly fancy and exquisitely crafted things we might call a lifestyle object today. Cartier has an impressive history of making veritable works of art for a desk, and this pen case, circa 1927, is a fabulous example. The dragon design reflects the wave of Chinoiserie and orientalism that seduced European arts in the ‘20s, and the exquisite design and craft is attributed to Vladimir Makovsky, a talented artisan who worked with many of the leading jewellers of the time. — Gordon Ng, watches & jewellery editor
Exceptional Jewels & Objects of Elegance: A Connoisseur’s Collection – Part 1 by Christie’s, on 10 November 2026
Lot 117
Estimate: CHF120,000–200,000
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Van Cleef & Arpels Passe-Partout transformable necklace in yellow gold with sapphires and rubies
Van Cleef & Arpels has been known to create deeply expressive and innovative jewels that can be easily transformed. This versatile gold necklace is part of the Passe-Partout collection that arose from 1939. It features a pair of brooches set with cushion-shaped sapphires accented with circular-cut rubies and sapphires amidst a yellow gold tubogas chain. This unique jewel grants the wearer an exquisite freedom to wear the gorgeous piece as a whole; the brooches on their own; on the wrist as a bracelet; on the hip as a belt; and even as a necklace in multiple ways. — Alexis Teo, watches & jewellery editorial assistant
Royal & Noble Jewels by Sotheby’s, on 12 November 2026
Lot 1041
Estimate: CHF 70,000–100,000
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De Grisogono earrings in yellow and white gold with diamonds
This pair of earrings embodies the dramatic proportions and baroque volumes synonymous with Swiss jeweller de Grisogono. It’s designed almost as a melding of the sun and moon, offering a sculptural interpretation of the classic hoop with a substantial, voluminous silhouette set with diamonds. A row of white briolette-cut diamonds traces the inner contour of the gold crescent, while yellow diamonds accentuate its outer curves. — Alexis Teo, watches & jewellery editorial assistant
Magnificent Jewels Including the Bvlgari Pink by Christie’s, on 10 November 2026
Lot 510
Estimate: CHF40,000–60,000
