Cartier ‘Tutti Frutti’ brooch shines in sale

A tiny brooch discovered hidden in a box of ‘worthless’ costume jewellery has just sold for a record £19,500 at a Cotswold auction.

The 3.8cm pin brooch was discovered in a box of mixed ‘worthless’ costume jewellery inherited by the owner, a Warwickshire client.

Upon detailed examination of the contents of the jewel box, jewellery specialists at Moreton in Marsh auctioneers Kinghams were astonished to discover an exceptionally rare antique jewel lurking amongst bundles of valueless paste brooches and beads.

The brooch in question turned out to be a jabot pin known as ‘Tutti Frutti’ and made by one of the world’s most distinguished jewellery houses, Cartier.

Crafted in gold and platinum, the brooch incorporates diamonds, sapphires and rubies to create a bud-like form.  Dating from 1930, the height of the Art Deco era of glamour and sophistication, the jewel would have been a highly prized and expensive possession.  Signed ‘Cartier, London’ the estimated total diamond weight is 0.20ct.

‘Tutti Frutti’ is the name given to Cartier’s range of brightly coloured jewels in the Indian style from the 1920s and 1930s.  Crafted from carved gemstones brought back from the East, the range became a hit with the style-conscious of the day.

Cartier is regarded as one of the most prestigious luxury goods and jewel manufacturers founded by Louis-Francois Cartier in 1840’s Paris.  With distinguished customers including Royalty and the elite, King Edward VII famously referred to Cartier as ‘the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers’.

The Warwickshire ‘Tutti Frutti’ pin generated much pre-sale interest ahead of the auction held at Kinghams in February. Intense bidding saw it surpass the £6,000 top estimate with the gavel falling at a total of just under £20,000. The winning bidder was a USA-based private collector bidding on the phone. It ranks in the top three auction prices achieved for a brooch of its type sold at auction in the UK over the last few years.