Forgotten attic jewellery collection fetches £506,750 at auction, including rare 1905 Cartier brooch

A forgotten jewellery collection that had been stored in boxes in a Worcestershire attic for decades has sold at auction for £506,750. The final total was more than three times the original pre-sale estimate. The 201 individual lots belonged to a late grandmother from Malvern. Her family discovered the full collection while clearing out the loft of her home. Auctioneers had initially valued the entire collection at around £150,000. However, international buyers later competed fiercely for the pieces online and over the telephone. Chorley’s Auctioneers managed the sale at its Prinknash Abbey saleroom in Gloucestershire. Every lot found a buyer, giving the multi-hour auction a 100 percent sell-through rate.Standout pieces and international bidding warsThe most valuable item in the collection was a rare Belle Époque diamond and gemstone brooch designed by French luxury jewellery house Cartier. The piece dates back to 1905. The brooch features delicate openwork platinum settings, a style associated with jewellery made during the Edwardian period. It attracted strong competition from collectors around the world. Bidding quickly passed its original estimate of £10,000 to £15,000. It even...