Inspection off.
Move the pointer across the plate for a magnified crop, as you would run a loupe over the surface in the viewing room. Using a keyboard, step between the named details instead.
Further plates
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Detail. -
Macro detail, raking light.
Unsigned
The clasp English, circa 1910
A single-strand natural pearl necklace with a diamond clasp
Natural pearls with a platinum and diamond-set clasp
Length 17 1/4 in.; the pearls graduating from 4.9 to 8.7 mm
Bidding on lot 11
Current bid
$52,000
- Estimate
- $45,000 – 70,000
- Next minimum
- $55,000
- Increment here
- $5,000
- Closes
- Tue, Sep 8, 2:18 PM EDT
Anti-sniping
A bid placed inside the final 3 minutes of this lot extends its close by a further 3 minutes, from the moment of the bid, and does so again for every bid inside the window. Only this lot is extended; the rest of the sale runs on. The rule exists so that a lot is won by the highest bidder rather than by whoever has the fastest connection in the last two seconds. The countdown above shows the extension as it happens.
Or bid another way
- Absentee. Leave a written maximum with the clerk. The house bids on your behalf up to it, and no higher, taking the lot as cheaply as the competition allows.
- Telephone. A member of staff calls you before the lot and bids to your instruction. Arranged at least 24 hours in advance.
- In the room. Register at the desk and take a paddle number.
Demonstration site. Hammer & Co is a fictional auction house; every lot, estimate, bid, result and provenance chain on this site is invented for the purpose of showing the design. No bid placed here is a real bid and nothing here is offered for sale.
Catalogue note
Sixty-one graduated pearls of good cream body colour and fine rose overtone, with an antique clasp set with old-cut diamonds. The pearls are catalogued as natural on the strength of a report from an independent laboratory, which is reproduced in full in the department’s file and available on request.
Condition report
Very good Reported by Nadia Behrens on August 26, 2026
The pearls with the surface characteristics normal to natural pearls of this date; three with minor blemishing at the drill hole, described in the accompanying report. The strand has been restrung at some point and the knotting is even and sound. The clasp is secure, with a safety catch. Some wear to the platinum at the clasp edges.
A condition report is an opinion, honestly held, given as a courtesy and not a warranty. It is not a substitute for examining the lot yourself, and the absence of a reference to a defect does not imply that the lot is free from it. Every lot is sold as is.
Provenance
- 1911 A wedding gift, by family tradition.
- to date By descent to the present owner, Massachusetts.
Every provenance chain on this demonstration site is invented. No real collection, sale or ownership history is described.
The bidding ladder
Bids step by a published ladder, not a percentage. At $52,000 the step is $5,000, so the next admissible bid is $55,000. The auctioneer may vary the increment at their discretion.
| Bid at | Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 – $199 | $10 |
| $200 – $499 | $25 |
| $500 – $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 – $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 – $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 – $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 – $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 – $49,999 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 – $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 – $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 – $499,999 | $20,000 |
| $500,000 – $999,999 | $50,000 |
| $1,000,000 and above | $100,000 |
