Jewellery worth wearing and keeping: one week left to bid at Strauss & Co

15 Oct 2026

CAPE TOWN – With one week remaining before bidding closes on 19 October, Strauss & Co’s Luxury Jewellery Edition: October Live and Online auctions are entering their final stretch. The two sales bring together natural diamonds, coloured gemstones, fine pearls, watches, and substantial jewellery suites, with the Online auction placing particular emphasis on pearls and pieces chosen as much for wearability as for value. Strauss & Co Senior Jewellery Specialist Kim Goeller believes this combination of value and wearability defines the season. 

“The pieces at the top end of this sale go beyond collecting for collecting’s sake,” she says. “They have investment-level qualities, but they are not jewellery that needs to disappear into a safe. They are for somebody bold enough to wear them.” That philosophy is evident across both the Luxury Jewellery Edition Live and Online offerings.

If diamonds are an important thread through the Live sale, pearls are among the strongest narratives in the Online auction, reflecting both their renewed relevance in contemporary jewellery and the considerable variation in quality within the category. A pearl’s value cannot be judged on size alone. Strauss & Co considers lustre, surface quality, nacre, colour, shape and calibration, as well as the relationship between individual pearls within a necklace or suite before accepting a piece for auction. A beautifully matched strand requires exacting calibration of colour and graduating or corresponding size, while an important clasp can become a jewel in its own right.

Perfectly round pearls tend to be the most sought-after, although baroque pearls have their own character. South Sea pearls appeal for their size, lustre and surface quality, while names such as Paspaley and Mikimoto add further weight for collectors. One of the Online highlights is a charcoal pearl and diamond suite comprising a necklace, bracelet, earrings and ring. Its deep-toned pearls give the traditional suite format a more contemporary character and illustrate the versatility that has helped bring pearls back into the fashion conversation.

Beyond the dedicated Pearls and Diamonds session, October Online also includes Watches and Gemstones andGold. The latter brings together jewellery that can form the foundation of a collection, including diamond studs and other luxurious classics selected for quality, value and ease of wear, alongside more distinctive statement pieces.

The watch session is deliberately compact, moving from recognised collectables to elegant timepieces. Cape Town viewing is by appointment from 12 to 19 October. The October Online auction closes from 2pm on 19 October 2026, with the October Live sale following at 7pm.