Maynards Fine Art — The Vancouver Auction Specialist for Estates
Maynards Fine Art — The Vancouver Auction Specialist for Estates
Regular jewellery, art, and decorative-arts sales drawn from Canadian estates
Maynards Fine Art is the Vancouver-based auction operation that conducts regular sales of fine art, jewellery, and decorative arts, drawing primarily from Canadian estates and private collections. The firm is the descendant of one of British Columbia's longest-established auction businesses and operates today as a regional alternative to the international houses for consigners and bidders working in the Canadian market.
The auction calendar
Maynards Fine Art runs a calendar of themed and mixed sales through the year, including jewellery and watches, Canadian art, Asian art, modern design, and general estate sales. Jewellery is offered in dedicated sales as well as in mixed estate auctions, with lots ranging from costume pieces and unsigned period jewellery through to signed pieces from Cartier, Birks, Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels, and other well-known makers. Diamonds, coloured stones, and pearls all feature regularly, with laboratory reports for fine pieces noted in the catalogue when available.
Bidding and consignment
Sales operate with both live in-room bidding at the Vancouver salesroom and online bidding through the firm's web platform and via the major auction-aggregator sites. The combination puts Canadian estate jewellery in front of an international bidder pool, though the buyer base remains weighted toward Canada and the Pacific Northwest. Consigners are typically Canadian estates, Canadian private sellers, and dealers seeking liquidity through the auction channel.
Maynards' commission structure is comparable to other regional auction houses, with terms negotiated on a case-by-case basis for substantial consignments. The firm offers in-house valuation and cataloguing, with fine jewellery typically appraised by specialists with gemmological training.
Position in the Canadian market
Within Canada, the principal jewellery auction venues are Maynards Fine Art in Vancouver, Waddington's in Toronto, Heffel for art (which occasionally includes jewellery in mixed sales), and a handful of smaller regional houses. The Canadian market is small relative to New York, London, and Geneva, and serious sellers of internationally significant jewellery often consign to the international houses for the broader exposure. For locally significant pieces and routine estate liquidation, Maynards provides a credible domestic option.