A gold dressing set by Cartier and Goldmiths and Silvermans Co Ltd was one of the first lots to cause a stir at the September Fine Art and Antiques Auction.

One of 954 lots on offer, the dressing set dated back to 1912 and had the initials of Louise Garland Emmet who was the daughter of James Albert Garland, co-founder of the First National Bank of New York.

The exquisite and rare dressing table suite was housed within a Cartier case. Auctioneer Christina Trevanion said: “It is so rare to find a gold set, so often you find these sets in silver, but to have an example commissioned in 18ct gold by two of the very best makers of their time is exceptionally rare.”

The auctioneers reported healthy pre-sale interest and two telephone bidders battled it out to secure the set before it sold to a telephone bidder for £32,000, smashing the previous top selling lot record of £21,000 for a Chinese vase.

“It was incredibly exciting to sell,” said Christina.”There was such a buzz in the saleroom, it was electric.”

Cartier was also responsible for two of the other top selling lots of the day as an Art Deco Cartier compact sold to an international buyer for £3,200 despite damage and a Cartier bracelet dating to 1965 sold for £2,600 to a London buyer.