Auction end for historic jewellery collection

After 165 years, Australia’s oldest jeweller Kozminsky has closed while owner Kirsten Albrecht considers the next chapter in the company’s business development.

The forthcoming on site auction – from 11am Saturday March 4 at 421 Bourke Street, Melbourne – will be the largest single owner jewellery sale in Australia since the 1981 auction of the Claire McKinnon collection, with a conservative auction estimate of $1 million.

Organised through Leonard Joel (of which Kirsten’s brother John Albrecht is managing director), the auction has attracted widespread interest – particularly among long-standing Kozminsky clients.

Many of these had come to value the emphasis in recent years on individual handmade bespoke jewellery creations and antique pieces after the company had spent decades on a multi-faceted approach to general jewellery, art and objet d’art over the building’s three floors.

According to jewellery head John D’Agata, who spent 10 years working for Kozminsky before joining Leonard Joel, several days before the auction registrations had already reached the levels of a normal sale.

“Buyers are seriously questioning where they will now be able to obtain high quality bespoke jewellery,” he said.

D’Agata expects passionate and competitive bidding for the 600 lots on offer and strong hammer prices as buyers scramble to obtain a piece of Australian jewellery history.

“The public will want to buy a piece because they have grown up with the Kozminsky name,” he said.

There are plenty of fine quality pieces from which to choose including a Victorian Etruscan-style revival gold necklace with an $18,000-$24,000 catalogue estimate.

Other attractions include a Belle Epoch cameo brooch, a vintage aquamarine and diamond ring, a Tahitian pearl and diamond pendant, and a spinel and diamond ring.

Buyers also should be interested a star sapphire and diamond ring, a Victorian amethyst and gold riviere, a pair of antique diamond pendant earrings, a pair of vintage diamond and amethyst pendant earrings, and a suffragette amethyst, pearl and enamel ring.

Among the other creations is a golden sapphire and diamond ring, a vintage sapphire and diamond cluster ring, an important antique Australian gold buckle brooch, a pair of Jadette diamond, onyx and coral pendant earrings, and an impressive antique diamond fringe necklace with a $20,000-$30,000 catalogue estimate.