A DIAMOND cluster ring valued at around £20,000 is among the hundreds of eye-catching items going under the hammer at North Yorkshire's newest auction house.

Elstob & Elstob is bringing its first year to a close with a head-turning sale of silver, jewellery, watches and objects of vertu on December 5 at 6pm.

Held in the surroundings of The Orangery at Newby Hall, near Ripon, the sale will offer a wide selection of lots representing fine examples of contemporary and antique objects.

Almost 300 items will be showcased, ranging from candlesticks and snuff boxes to diamond rings and gold watches, with estimates ranging from £60 to in excess of £10,000.

This is the first specialist sale to be run by the auction house, which opened its doors in January this year to provide a regional focus for buying and selling quality antiques, fine art and ornaments.

It has held four catalogue sales in the last 12-months, which have seen a steady increase in the number of lots.

David Elstob, who founded the Bedale-based business with his wife Beth, said: “We have had a tremendous year and the growth in the number of items being consigned for sale has prompted us to run this specialist auction.

“As we move into 2020, we intend to introduce more of these type of sales to our auction calendar.”

One of the reasons for this trend towards specialised sales is the ever-increasing use of online bidding, a practice that started a few years ago but continues to grow apace.

This means that regional auction houses can successfully present items to a global audience, thereby competing on a more level playing field with the larger, city-based salerooms.

Amongst the items offered for sale at the Newby Hall auction is a pair of George III silver two-light candelabra made by John Winter and Co, Sheffield, in 1780.

Meanwhile, a leading star in the sale’s jewellery section is a stunning emerald and diamond cluster ring that has been valued between £15,000 and £20,000.