Antiques: Diamonds sparkle in Bandon,  furniture prices add polish in Dublin

'At a time when stylish but antique furniture has been all but ignored by the market, it was cheering to see several pieces making above-estimate prices' 

This George III side table made €1,200 at hammer at James Adam.

Irish silver, furniture by renowned Dublin maker Robert Strahan and a white gold diamond flowerhead cluster ring are among the offerings at Hegarty's online auction in Bandon this Wednesday (August 5).

The faded and now indecipherable maker's mark on an ornate c1745 Dublin-made Irish silver cream jug with a shaped rim and C-scroll handle offers a timely lesson. It is important to preserve hallmarks by keeping a thumb upon them when polishing and shining the silver. 

The cream jug is estimated at €600-€800.

An elegant George II silver coffee pot made by William Townsend in Dublin c1750 is estimated at €3,500-€4,500. 

The baluster-form pot has an ebonised handle, a domed hinged cover with finial, an acanthus leaf mounted on the spout and a circular spreading foot.

A c1750 Irish silver coffee pot at Hegarty's.

An 18-carat white gold diamond flowerhead cluster ring features a central round cut diamond surrounded by eight diamonds in a raised setting. The total diamond weight amounts to 1.8 carats, and the estimate is €2,500-€3,500.

Lot 128 is a two-door side table by Robert Strahan. Just 20 inches deep, it would fit in most modern homes. 

There is a raised gallery back and a carved border, with fleur-de-lys carving on the two doors. The estimate is a mere €400-€800. The catalogue for the auction is online.

A diamond flowerhead cluster ring at Hegarty's.

At a time when stylish but everyday antique furniture has been all but ignored by the market, it was cheering to see several pieces making above-estimate prices at the James Adam warehouse auction in Dublin last week. 

The top lot in the sale, a Georgian semi-elliptical side table with an inlaid top and compartmental frieze, made €1,200 at hammer over a high estimate of €800.

Then an Edwardian mahogany wardrobe with twin astragal glazed doors made €1,200 at hammer over a top estimate of €700.

This Edwardian wardrobe with astragal glazed doors made €1,200 at hammer at James Adam.

An Edwardian mahogany Carlton House desk made a hammer price of €800, at the top of the estimate.

 An Edwardian brass-framed four-glass ceiling lantern made €550 over a top estimate of €400. These are bargain prices when compared to what the same pieces might have made decades ago. 

It might be over-optimistic to view such results as a straw in the wind, but they are nonetheless encouraging. 

Adam's will conduct valuations on jewellery, watches, Irish art and fine and decorative art in Cork by appointment only on Tuesday (August 4), in Belfast on August 5 and in Dublin on August 6.