Brooch found among worthless gems sells for £20k

The brooch was from Cartier's Tutti Frutti range, which was popular with 1930s high society

A tiny brooch discovered among other worthless costume jewellery has sold for almost £20,000 at auction.

The Warwickshire resident who inherited the box of jewellery took it to Kinghams auctioneers in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, to be examined.

The auctioneer said its gem experts were shocked to find the "exceptionally rare" antique jewel from Cartier's Tutti Frutti range within the collection.

The 1930s pin brooch - which measures just 3.8cm (1.5in) long - was estimated to fetch £6,000 at auction but sold to a US bidder for £19,500.

Cartier was founded in 1840s Paris by Louis-Francois Cartier and its customers over the years have included the likes of King Edward VII, Mick Jagger, and Kim Kardashian.

Cartier's Tutti Fruitti range featured brightly coloured jewels in the Indian style which was popular in the height of the Art Deco era.

This brooch was crafted in gold and platinum with diamonds, sapphires, and rubies arranged in a bud-like form.

It would have been a "highly prized and expensive" possession, as the range was "a hit with the style-conscious" members of 1930s high society, according to Kinghams.

'Intense bidding'

Other items in the jewellery box were described as "valueless paste brooches and beads" by Kinghams.

The auctioneer said there was "much pre-sale interest" and "intense bidding" in the brooch, with the winning bid coming from a US-based private collector.

"It ranks in the top three auction prices achieved for a brooch of its type sold at auction in the UK over the past few years," they added.