This Valentine’s Day, Christie’s invites romantics to skip the glitzy showrooms of Bvlgari, Cartier, and Harry Winston and instead explore an exclusive auction of ancient gold jewelry.
With dazzling pieces from ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt, these historic gems may just cost less than today’s designer offerings. The auction features “incredibly rare” historical artifacts, many of which remain wearable. These ancient treasures, dating back to B.C. eras, are shrouded in mystery.
“I’d much rather have an amethyst necklace with a strong historical presence rather than something else that everyone is going to wear and look the same,” Hannah Fox Solomon, a senior specialist and head of the department of the antiquities at Christie’s, told the New York Post.
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“You could wear this and have a unique, special conversation piece rather than what all your friends wear for a fraction of the price.”
Christie’s upcoming auction on February 4 offers ancient treasures at prices that rival modern luxury jewelry. A set of gold bracelets from ancient Rome is expected to fetch $4,000 to $6,000, far less than Cartier’s $8,000 Love Bracelet.
A trio of gold rings, including a sphinx-etched carnelian, a lantern-shaped piece, and a double-headed design, is estimated between $5,000 and $7,000. Believed to be nearly 2,000 years old, these artifacts come from the Kofler-Truniger collection, though much of their history remains unknown.
Christie’s upcoming auction also features an ancient Roman amethyst beaded necklace, dating from the 1st century B.C. to the 1st century A.D., estimated to sell for $6,000 to $8,000. This historical piece is priced below the modern $9,000 Van Cleef & Arpels 10-motif onyx Alhambra necklace.
According to Solomon, the affordability of these pieces isn’t due to a lack of value, as these items are still considered highly precious.
“Ancient jewelry is much less expensive than what retail is right now,” she said. In fact, some of the items up for auction are remarkably rare.
“It’s not like a Warhol where you say, ‘I love this print… I want another one that looks exactly the same,’” she said.
The priciest item at the auction is a gold strap necklace from Ancient Greece, adorned with beech nut-shaped pendants.
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Dating back to the opulent Hellenistic Period, it reflects the era’s high regard for precious metals and elaborate jewelry. The piece is expected to fetch between $20,000 and $30,000.
Although she couldn’t pinpoint exactly “how much of a day’s work” it would have cost to make a piece from this collection — or how expensive the jewelry was at the time of their origin — she doesn’t believe it was strictly reserved for society’s elite or the “royal class.”
“I think there were a range of people who wore this,” Solomon said.
“I would imagine that gold and the time it takes to make this would make it more expensive, so the simpler things that don’t have the beading and that don’t have the precious amethyst or the gold — that might have been stone — would be less valuable than not.”
The standout feature of the ancient jewelry collection isn’t just the price but its remarkable wearability despite its age. Described as “wearable art,” most pieces can be worn as-is, while others have been or can be modified for practical use.
Many of the ancient jewelry pieces can be modified for modern wear, such as lengthening necklaces or converting bracelets into earrings.
Solomon recommends reserving ancient jewelry for special occasions, such as galas or dinners, rather than everyday activities like dishwashing.
