Christie fan cracks jewellery case

An Agatha Christie fan ended up unlocking a mystery of their own when they found a strongbox full of the crime writer's jewels.

The jewellery, valued at around £10,000, is being sold at auction in October after lying unseen for years at Christie's family home.

It was discovered when a fan of the Miss Marple novelist, Jennifer Grant, bought an old trunk for £100 during a 2006 sale of the contents of her home, Greenway, near Brixham in Devon.

Inside the trunk, which belonged to Christie's mother, was a locked strongbox which the new owner opened four years later finding a purse of gold coins, a diamond brooch and a diamond ring.

'I could hardly breathe'

Ms Grant said: "I was thrilled to have stumbled upon my very own mystery. I always wondered what was locked inside the strongbox but I never dreamt it would be anything so exciting as diamonds - I could hardly breathe when I unwrapped the tissue paper and found them.

"As an Agatha Christie fan, it's wonderful to think that these items actually touched her life. I've enjoyed the jewellery greatly over the last four years but I don't wear it as much as it deserves. I thought - why not let someone else enjoy them."

Christie used Greenway, which she described as "the most beautiful place in the world", as a holiday home.

The house, which was home to her daughter Rosalind until her death in 2004, was used to film David Suchet's last ever appearance as Poirot on ITV last year.



Auction in October

The jewels will be sold at Bonhams auction house in Knightsbridge, central London, on October 8.

They are mentioned in the Agatha Christie biography as pieces earmarked for the novelist and her sister Madge to inherit from their mother's collection.

Christie wrote: "My mother's valuable jewellery consisted of 'my diamond buckle', 'my diamond crescent' and 'my diamond engagement ring'...Madge was to have the diamond crescent, I was to have the diamond buckle..."

"...my mother sorted amongst an array of odds and ends...all these required hours of sorting before they were packed in the trays in the various trunks."

Greenway features in several of Christie's novels, with its secretive walled gardens, tennis court and boat house on the river which wraps itself around the property.

The 19th century diamond brooch found in the trunk is expected to reach between £6,000 and £8,000 at auction, while the diamond three stone ring has an estimate of £3,000 to £5,000.

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