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AuctionsAug 11, 2016
And then there was a lot
Two jewels that once belonged to English crime novelist and playwright Agatha Christie sold for nearly $80,000 at Bonhams Wednesday, well exceeding what the auction house anticipated.
Her three-stone diamond ring sold for about $35,146 after being estimated to sell for a maximum of $8,000 and her diamond brooch garnered about $44,184, far exceeding its pre-sale high estimate of $12,800.
Now, another best-selling English author will wear the pieces.
Bonhams said Thursday that the husband of English author Sophie Kinsella bought them for her. Kinsella wrote the Shopaholic series, which includes Confessions of a Shopaholic, as well as Can You Keep a Secret? and I’ve Got Your Number.
The ring and brooch originally were thought to be lost, Bonhams said. They were mentioned as family heirlooms in Christie’s autobiography, but their whereabouts remained unknown for years.
But in 2006, a fan of Christie’s took part in the sale of items from the writer’s childhood home, Greenway Estate. She paid about $150 for an old traveling trunk that belonged to Christie’s mother, and discovered the brooch and ring in the locked strongbox inside.
“We are very pleased to have been able to offer these two fine pieces, coming as they do not only with an illustrious provenance but with such a wonderful story of discovery by the vendor,” said Carole Gordon, head of jewelry at Bonhams Knightsbridge. “The astonishing prices achieved today are just the icing on the cake.”
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