King Farouk's jewels break pre-sale expectations at auction

The diamond-studded pins, brooches, cufflinks and a purse handle are estimated to sell for between Dh1,000 and Dh17,000

Lot 199 - King Farouk's tie pin and cufflinks. Sotheby's

King Farouk of Egypt was a well-known collector of fine jewels and bejewelled accessories. Following from the record price that his Patek Philippe 1518 watch fetched at a Dubai auction in March, three more items from his personal collection went under the hammer on June 6.

King Farouk, who ruled from 1936 to 1952, was known for his penchant for the finer things in life. He was a renowned collector of fine watches and a big fan of cars, and was said to own several hundreds — his personal vehicle was a red 1947 Bentley Mark VI.

His family commissioned a number of pieces from Van Cleef & Arpels in particular, and he also famously bought the 94-carat Star of the East diamond from Harry Winston. In 2015, Sotheby’s New York sold a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, formerly in the collection of King Farouk’s mother Queen Nazli, for Dh15.8 million.

The three new lots were part of the Fine Jewels auction, conducted by Sotheby’s London. Here are the details.

Lot 199: a tie pin and cufflinks, and a ruby and diamond tie pin (pictured above)

Estimated price: £220 to £350 (up to Dh1,720)

Sold for: £4,000 (Dh19.770)

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Lot 200: Van Cleef & Arpels diamond brooch

Estimated price: £700 to £1,500 (up to Dh7,375)

Sold for: £12,500 (Dh61,785)

Lots 200 - King Farouk's VCA brooch

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Lot 201: Diamond purse handle

Estimated price: £2,200 to £3,500 (up to Dh17,210)

Sold for: £9,375 (Dh46,340)

Lots 201 - King Farouk's diamond purse handle

Also part of the Fine Jewels auction are: a diamond tiara from the early 1900s; an aquamarine, mother-of-pearl and diamond brooch from Fürst; a ruby and diamond necklace from Cartier; a coral and diamond ring from David Webb; a citrine and diamond bracelet and ring from Boucheron; and watches from Bulgari, Cartier, David Morris, Omega, Piaget and Jaeger-LeCoultre.

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