TWO collections of period and modern jewellery from Whitchurch and Mid Wales will be going under the hammer at leading regional fine art auction house Halls next week.

The silver, jewellery and watches auction at Halls Fine Art’s Battlefield saleroom in Shrewsbury on Wednesday, October 25 will be the first in a new series of specialist sales and includes nearly 360 lots.

The company’s silver and jewellery specialist Maryanne Lineker-Mobberley said there were some prizes assets to be viewed at the auction.

She added: “The sale has a nice mix of items with estimates ranging from £70 to £2,000 with more than 200 lots of jewellery.

“We have some lovely animal type jewellery pieces, including bee and insect brooches and a unusual bat pendant, which is particularly timely so close to Halloween.

“Novelty pieces of jewellery and silver always sell well because buyers after often looking for something different.”

The two main collections include 60 lots of Victorian, Edwardian and modern jewellery from the estate of a late Whitchurch collector and more than 50 pieces of modern and period jewellery from a Newtown vendor.

For those thinking of making a marriage proposal or buying a special gift for a loved one, there’s a good selection of diamond, sapphire, ruby, emerald and tanzanite rings to choose from.

The silver section includes 80 lots with tea services with estimates of up to £1,200 and impressive canteens of cutlery, which would be ideal for Christmas entertaining.

An interesting piece is an Edwardian novelty silver pin cushion in the form of a bull with a mother of pearl cart made by Adie and Lovekin, Birmingham in 1908, which carries an estimate of £400 to £600.

Potential stars of the watches section are a Tudor gentleman's stainless steel Black Bay Heritage chronograph bracelet watch at between £1,800 and £2,200 and an 18 carat gold open face pocket watch by Morris of Birmingham from around 1883 at £1,200 to £1,800.

The auction lots can be viewed on Monday and Tuesday next week from 10am to 4pm Anyone wishing to make an appointment to have silver, jewellery or watches valued is asked to contact Halls Fine Art on 01743 450700.