Review of the Year: 2025

As we look back on the year, Adam Partridge Auctioneers has recorded several significant sales and record house prices. 

A major highlight was in October 2025 when an emerald-cut sapphire, originally brought in as part of a box of costume jewellery, sold for £332,000. A loose emerald cut 20ct sapphire, incredibly rare because of the carat size, started with an opening bid of £180 and followed by a further 350 bids in a battle that lasted almost 20 minutes.This set a new house record, surpassing the previous record of £320,000 for a Roman bust.

Another extraordinary find in this costume jewellery box was the VAN CLEEF & ARPELS; suite of 18ct yellow gold yellow sapphire and diamond set jewellery, which went on to make £90,000. 

Our notable Jewellery, Watches & Boutique specialist sales held at Adam Partridge Auctioneers' have had excellent results across the four salerooms, Cheshire, London, Liverpool and Devon; with strong hammer prices across a wide range of items. 

ROLEX; a c.2000 Oyster Perpetual Day-Date platinum Superlative Chronometer wristwatch sold for £13,000

PATEK PHILIPPE; a gentleman's stainless steel Nautilus Moonphase wristwatch, sold for £69,000

An important parure of yellow metal and enamelled jewellery comprising necklace, pair of bracelets, pair of earrings and ring, sold for £12,000

A fine pair of white metal diamond and Colombian emerald drop earrings, with brilliant cut diamonds, sold for £8,300

The Boutique sale also featured numerous designer items that achieved fabulous results. This striking and luxurious item was the CHANEL; a black lambskin leather mini Classic Double Flap bag featuring diamond quilting, signature interlocking CC turnlock closure and silver tone hardware, sold for £3,100.

The gold and silver department at Adam Partridge Auctioneers has had a very strong year, with highlights including various collections of British and World silver coins. In the broader market, both gold and silver prices have seen significant surges in 2025, with silver hitting an all-time record high!

A career highlight for Adam was in our December auction when he sold the Fabergé Rooster or Cockerel, a piece he had first valued 5 years earlier. He said ahead of the sale "I can remember as an 8 year old boy, watching Antiques Roadshow and first hearing about the rich history of Fabergé." This object had been in the same family of German origin for many decades and had passed to the vendor by direct descent. FABERGÉ, ST. PETERSBURG; an important jewelled gold mounted agate model of a cockerel or rooster, finely carved with diamond set eyes and chased rose gold feet, with its original fitted Fabergé case, which sold for an admiring £31,000 to a private UK client.

Our Northern & Contemporary Art auctions are part of our key sales at the Cheshire Saleroom in Macclesfield. These specialised sales typically feature prominent artists such as L.S. Lowry, Helen Bradley, Theodore Major, Harold Riley, Arthur Delaney, and Pierre Adolphe Valette. Some wonderful contemporary and northern art highlights are shown here, a Damien Hirst lithorgraph, a Kyffin Williams oil and a Lowry pencil drawing.

DAMIEN HIRST (born 1965); offset lithograph in colours, 2000, on glossy wove paper, 'Lysergic Acid Diethylamide LSD' sold for £8,200

SIR KYFFIN WILLIAMS RA (1918-2006); oil on canvas, 'Burst of Light, Crib Goch' sold for £15,500

LAURENCE STEPHEN LOWRY RA (1887-1976); pencil drawing, 'A Tanker', 25.2 x 35cm, framed and glazed sold for £22,000

Adam Partridge Auctioneers & Valuers hold specialist auctions that frequently feature rare and high-value Royal Doulton ceramics and specific Decorative Arts sales. 

ARCHIBALD KNOX FOR TUDRIC PEWTER; an Arts & Crafts pewter timepiece made for Liberty & Co, with embossed stylised decoration and blue/green enamel cabochons, sold for £3,250.

The Specialist Auction: Decorative Arts and Rare Royal Doulton, in September, included 31 Doulton figures. And it was the figures designed by Charles J. Noke, often prototypes or unique glaze experiments, that stole the show, with bidders joining from the US, specifically for the 'A Mandarin'.

CHARLES J NOKE FOR ROYAL DOULTON; HN 84 'A Mandarin' an exceptionally rare figurine, the only one known to exist sold for £9,700

2026 Upcoming Sales

Liverpool Saleroom - 8th and 9th January 

Devon Saleroom - 12th January

Cheshire Saleroom - 22nd and 23rd January

London Saleroom - 3rd and 4th February

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a very good New Year from us all at Adam Partridge Auctioneers and Valuers.