Diamonds proved a girl’s best friend once again and coins were in demand at a £300,000, two-day auction at Shropshire’s leading fine art auction house.

Two diamond rings – a brilliant cut single stone example and a late 19th century diamond cluster ring – shared the day’s top price of £5,500 at the successful fine Pictures, Silver, Jewellery, Watches and Coins auction at Halls’ salerooms.

A brilliant cut single stone diamond ring that sold for £5,500.

Other sparkling prices were £2,300 for a three-stone graduated diamond ring, £1,800 for a single stone diamond ring, £1,500 for a two-stone diamond ring, £1,450 for a graduated three stone diamond ring and £1,250 for a pair of diamond cluster ear pendants.

A late 19th century diamond cluster ring that sold for £5,500.

Diamonds were not the only gemstones to make their mark, however. A loose, oval cut Colomobian emerald, weighing 2.97cts, sold for £2,600, a pair of pear shaped sapphire and diamond stud earrings, made £1,550 and a five-stone emerald and diamond ring sold for £1,200.

Halls continued its record of achieving high prices for graduated amber bead necklaces, as a 49-bead example sold for £1,800. Another notable result was a gold sovereign set necklace at £1,200.

In the watches section, the time was right for a gentleman’s stainless steel Breitling Datora Chronograph at £1,350 and a gentleman’s Rolex Stainless Steel Oyster Perpetual Air King Precision wristwatch at £1,200.

Silver was again in demand, with the top prices going to an 1844 cased silver castle top card case by Birmingham silversmith Nathaniel Mills at £2,100, a pair of Irish tablespoons and set of four dessert spoons at £1,100 and a George V silver two handled tray at £1,050.

A cased silver castle top card case by Birmingham silversmith Nathaniel Mills sold for £2,100.

In the coins section, a collection of 100 gold sovereigns, all dated 1966, from the estate of a South Shropshire collector sold for £18,600

Other leading prices in the section were £4,600 for an Edward VII cased specimen set of 13 coins, dated 1902, £3,500 for a Jersey £10 gold proof poppy coin, dated 2011, to mark the Royal British Legion 90th anniversary’, £2,050 for ‘The 100 Greatest Masterpieces’ first edition silver proof set of medals and £1,400 each for 2010 and 2011 Jersey gold three coin sovereigns sets.

Cased pairs of 18 carat gold stamp replicas to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Parliament and Sir Winston Churchill sold for £1,050 and £710 respectively.

For more information, please contact Jeremy Lamond at Halls on Tel: 01743 450700