A diamond bracelet has sold for £18,000 at a Cockermouth auction.
An 18ct white gold bracelet, featuring 33 round brilliant-cut natural diamonds and weighing nearly 17 carats in total, became the top-selling lot at Mitchells Antiques & Fine Art Sale in Cockermouth.
Runners-up included a signed, limited edition iPad print by renowned British artist David Hockney RA, taken from the 2016 Taschen publication A Bigger Book, which fetched £16,000.
The auction delivered strong results across a variety of categories, including jewellery, art, coins, and collectibles.
A 1994 United Kingdom gold proof sovereign four-coin set achieved £4,000, while a 2018 Krugerrand launch set sold for £2,700.
Highlights in the timepiece category included a silver 1920s Rolex Oyster watch, which fetched £1,900, and a 9ct gold pocket watch with an enamelled face, which sold for £1,700.
Surprise results included an embroidered silk Chinese Mandarin robe, decorated with dragons, clouds, and spheres, which soared past its £200–£300 estimate to reach £3,200.
A collection of vintage and antique door furniture, including handles and locks with keys, sold for £2,300, despite a modest estimate of just £80–£120.
In the art section, painter Clifford (Cliff) Holden’s oil on canvas Dancer 1948, estimated at £400–£600, reached £2,200.
William Heaton Cooper RA’s watercolour Silver Gleams Crummock Water, estimated at £700–£1,000, also achieved £2,200.
A framed and signed original drawing of Great Gable by famed fellwalker and illustrator Alfred Wainwright (1907–1991) sold for £2,100 against a guide price of £800–£1,200.
Another Wainwright original, depicting Bowscale Tarn, fetched £1,500.
The sale included more than 30 landscape paintings by Edward H. Thompson (1879–1949), coinciding with the release of a new book by Charles Nugent about the artist’s life and work.
Among them, Thompson’s Snow Scene Whinlatter and Skiddaw with rabbits sold for £1,600.
Furniture highlights included a Victorian marquetry serpentine-fronted credenza, estimated at £1,800–£2,200, which achieved £2,800.
An early stool by Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson of Kilburn, featuring a burr oak top, dowelled construction, and the signature carved mouse, exceeded its £300–£500 estimate to sell for £650.
Mitchells is now inviting entries for its largest-ever Vintage Toy & Model Sale, set to take place on Thursday, February 13 and Friday, February 14.
Entries are set to close on Friday, January 23.
The Cockermouth saleroom is also offering zero per cent sellers’ commission on all gold items sold in January.
Free valuations are available by appointment, and home visits can be arranged, including in the South Lakes and Furness areas.
Valuation requests can also be submitted by email, including photographs, to info@mitchellsantiques.co.uk.
The company also offers valuation services for insurance and probate, as well as house clearance services.
For more information or to arrange a valuation, contact Mitchells on 01900 827800.
Mitchells Auction Company was established in 1873 as auctioneers of both livestock and furniture.
Company founder Robinson Mitchell is credited with developing the first purpose-built livestock auction mart in England.
The company has grown over the last 140 years and relocated its livestock and land divisions to an agricultural park on the outskirts of Cockermouth in the early 2000s.
Mitchells Antiques & Fine Art Auctions remains in Cockermouth town centre and operates from a Victorian building.
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