What will be the most popular jewellery & watches in 2023?

Styles come and go but beauty and sophistication remain a constant. Auctions are a great place to find beautiful jewellery and watches that encompass a range of different styles and eras.

We have highlighted a few of the watches and items of jewellery we expect to increase in popularity throughout 2023.  

_{A Rolex Sea-Dweller Submariner 2000 - Double Red}

_{Sold for £31,500}

Rolex Watches

Some things never change, and the global demand for Rolex watches is one of them.

Dawsons have seen a healthy number of Rolex sales this year, with our September Jewellery, Silver & Watches sale featuring a Rolex Sea-Dweller Submariner 2000-Double Red, that sold for an excellent £31,500.

During the pandemic years, Rolex saw a huge increase in demand as production slowed and supply subsequently dropped. Prices continued to soar as collectors spent the money they were saving from staying at home, on expanding their Rolex collections. Today, the secondary market is seeing an influx of Rolex buyers and sellers.

_{A 36mm Rolex Day-Date in 18ct yellow gold}

_{Sold for £12,000}

Since the spring of 2022, the supply to demand ratio has started to shift as uncertain times lie ahead and people look to sell the luxury watches they no longer wear. As a result, Rolex prices have begun to drop, and buyer numbers are on the increase.

Rolex sales continue to boom in the secondary market and are likely to continue as prices are predicted to decrease further.

Read More: how to tell if a Rolex is real >

Victorian Jewellery

The Victorian period was a turning point for the British jewellery market.

After the frugal 1820s and 30s, emphasis was placed on boosting prosperity for the middle class, and by the 1840s under the rule of Queen Victoria, the class system was transformed. The aristocracy were no longer the only ones who could afford to indulge in fine things, meaning that more people were buying and wearing jewellery than ever before. 

_{A Victorian micromosaic fringe necklace with birds and flowers}

_{Sold for £800}

Queen Victoria was an extremely popular monarch, and her taste in jewellery at various stages of her life allied with an increase in demand, influenced the design of many pieces that were created during her reign, possessing its own distinct style. 

The early romantic period concerned itself with natural motifs made from gold, silver, and lots of colourful gemstones. Whereas, the sombre mourning period, which marked the death of the Prince Consort in 1861, saw darker and more dramatic styles that incorporated much moodier gemstones.

_{A late Victorian diamond demi-parure}

_{Sold for £12,000}

The dedication of Victorian jewellers’ to producing jewellery of such extraordinary quality that so perfectly captured the mood of their country is unparalleled and unlike anything else. It is its physical and historical beauty that ensures Victorian jewellery is still so popular amongst buyers in the modern age.

Read more is victorian jewellery valuable? >

Cartier

Cartier has been one of the most popular jewellery brands at Dawsons in 2022, with a large selection of Cartier jewellery and watches seeing fantastic results in our November Jewellery, Silver & Watches sale, including an 18ct gold LOVE bangle that sold for £3,800, and a ‘Trinity’ diamond ring that sold for £3,400.

_{Cartier - 'Trinity' diamond ring}

_{Sold for £3,400}

As well as being popular Christmas gifts, Cartier carry a reputation for being the favourite brand of a number of high-profile celebrities, and most notably the Royal Family. In 1904, King Edward VII appointed them as the official jewellery suppliers for the Royal Household, and to this day Cartier remains one of the Princess of Wales’s favourite brands.

Cartier have consistently maintained a stronghold on the jewellery market by appealing to all generations. Having produced some of the most popular jewellery and watches over the last two centuries, Cartier remain a highly collectable brand. Extremely popular with buyers at Dawsons over the last year, we expect to see plenty more great Cartier sale results throughout 2023.

_{Cartier - A diamond-set 'LOVE' bangle in 18ct yellow gold}

_{Sold for £3,800}

Read more: are Cartier watches a good investment >

Art Deco Jewellery

The emergence of Art Deco jewellery demonstrated significant developments in women’s fashion during the 1920s and 30s, as well as founding many of the styles we know and love today.

The style of Art Deco jewellery was aimed at women looking to be bold and outspoken in their stylistic expression. Women’s fashion became a form of liberation and self-expression that allowed them to test boundaries without upsetting the status quo.

Diamonds were cut into less traditional shapes and their settings emphasised with more elaborate styles, with platinum replacing gold due to its flexibility, strength, and ability to set large clusters of stones.  

_{An Art Deco diamond lapel brooch}

_{Sold for £3,700}

Jewellery incorporated itself into fashion, with stacked bracelets and bangles becoming popular as a result of sleeves being shortened, and bold earrings accompannying the short, ‘boy-cut’ hairstyles that were coming over from Paris.

Art Deco jewellery anticipated many of the styles that would become popular in the future, including the modern preference for platinum over gold, stacked bracelets and layered necklaces, as well as the array of non-traditional diamond cuts that are often opted for today. It therefore remains a popular design period for both vintage and modern jewellery lovers.

_{An Art Deco-style platinum tanzanite and diamond ring}

_{Sold for £2,500} 

Patek PhilipPe 

Often seen on the wrists of celebrities, the excellence of Patek Philippe is enjoyed across generations. With a long lineage of exceptional watches that continually set records at auctions, their watches are largely made by hand and are less reliant on machine production than most other luxury watch brands.

We have seen some fantastic Patek sales over the course of 2022, not least the stunning Patek Philippe lady’s dress watch that sold for £14,000 in our September Jewellery, Silver & Watches sale. 

_{A Patek Philippe lady's dress watch}

_{Sold for £14,000}

Being one of the ‘Big Three’ luxury watch brands alongside Rolex and Audemars Piguet, Patek’s current market activity mirrors that of Rolex. However, in the cases of all three brands, the luxury watch market almost always manages to stabilise itself so that their products never really lose their value.

Patek has a reputation for being a consistently reliable brand, having been around since 1839 and run by the same family since 1932. The stability of its management means it is unlikely to lose its status as one of the top three watch manufacturers in the world and will therefore continue to be popular investments in 2023 and the years to follow.

_{A Patek Philippe Twenty~4 4920R-001}

_{Sold for £6,800}

Read More: are jewellery valuations free? >

Do you have any jewellery or watches that you are looking to sell?

The team of experts at Dawsons are always happy to provide a free appraisal in person at our saleroom in London, our valuation office in Berkshire, or from the comfort of your own home via a home visit or our online valuation service.   

We can also provide insurance valuations, where required.

Please do get in touch, we would love to hear from you. 

0207 431 9445   info@DawsonsAuctions.co.uk