Wealden Times | WT186 | August 2017 | Wedding supplement inside

Andrew Ewbank’s
jewellery pick
“Buying and selling jewellery through
a sale-room with a high level of
knowledge is crucial. Amber jewellery
is increasingly sought after by buyers,
the demand is largely due to strong
interest from buyers in the Middle
East and China. Increasingly popular
is organic jewellery like amber and
coral. Ruby, sapphire, and emerald
are perennially popular, as they can
be both beautiful and hard wearing.
As testament to this, at a recent
jewellery sale in the summer, one
of the most dramatic prices, against
estimate, seen, was for a Victorian
coral bead necklace. It sold for an
estimate-busting £3,810 to an online
buyer. Plus, at the same sale, an
online battle between two buyers
competing for a 45cm long Indo-
Chinese amber bead necklace saw
a final hammer price of £1,651.”
ewbankauctions.co.uk
1 3
2
Art & Antiques
1. Burma ruby and
diamond cluster ring,
oval cut ruby of 2.28
carats within a surround
of ten round brilliant
cut diamonds, in
18 ct yellow gold.
Ruby certificated by
IGI stating the ruby
origin as Burma and
free of treatment.
Sold for £6,604.
2. Victorian coral bead
necklace, graduating
beads slightly off
round in shape.
Sold for £3,810.
3. Indo-Chinese
amber bead necklace,
with oval shape beads
ranging in colour from
yellow to orange with
white metal spacers.
1 The team at Gorringes take a look at
Cecil Rochfort D’Oyly-John (1906-1993)
“D’Oyly-John was a self-taught artist who took up painting as
a pastime whilst convalescing in hospital from bomb injuries
in 1945. His output was considerable during his lifetime and
he was chiefly notable for his painting technique (the thick
application of paint with a palette knife instead of
a brush) and the vivid colours of his Mediterranean scenes.
He achieved wide public recognition in the 1950s and
60s due to the publication of many of his works in print
form, which seemed, fortuitously, to tap in to the increasing
2
1. ‘Sunset at Cannes’ by Cecil Rochfort D’Oyly-
John oil on canvas, signed. Sold for £1700 2.
‘Cannes’ by Cecil Rochfort D’Oyly-John, oil on
canvas, signed. Sold for £1900 .
market for foreign holidays in the sun, now taken for
granted, that could be enjoyed by the general public for the
first time. Admirers of his work included the Queen Mother,
then Queen, who acquired paintings for the Royal Collection.
D’Oyly-John’s early life was both adventurous and
shrouded in mystery (his parentage is unknown, but he
claimed to be the illegitimate son of the artist Augustus John).
He was born in Durban, South Africa and lived and worked
all over the world before eventually settling in Brighton,
then Rottingdean, where he and his wife, Joan, are buried.
His work continues to be popular at auction, with
their strong colours and bold, rather poster-like imagery
complementing modern interiors, at an affordable price. In
1998 D’Oyly-John paintings were selling for between £200-
400 at auction. This month, Gorringes sold two paintings of
Cannes for £1,700 and £1,900 respectively.”
gorringes.co.uk
107 wealdentimes.co.uk