Contemporary & Modern: Art + Design Online Auction

Circle Auction Terms & Conditions

Thank you for bidding with Circle Auction. We appreciate your business. The following terms & conditions contain important information that bidders need to review and understand prior to bidding. For your convenience we have bulleted a few of the most important terms & conditions for your quick review. Please understand that the terms & conditions form a legal agreement and you need to read them in their entirety.

To Bid: You will need to register for an auction. We will get contact and payment information from you.

Buyer’s Premium: A buyer’s premium is an additional charge to the winning bidder. It is a percentage of their bid and is added to the winning bid amount. The buyer’s premium ranges between 19% & 28% (depending on buying platform) of the final hammer price.

Condition: For the convenience of our buyers we take detailed photos of the auction items, as well as note any condition issues that we see. We highly encourage you to come to the pre-auction preview and look at the items in person. We will not give refunds for condition issues.

Payment: If you are a winning bidder you will need to pay for your item within 5 business days. You won’t be able to pick up or ship your item(s) until it has been paid in full. Payment by credit/debit card has an additional cost of 3.5% to cover credit card fees. Circle requires wire transfer or ACH for items sold over $5,000. Unpaid invoices will be auto-charged to the credit card on file on the 6th business day following the auction.

Pick-up: After your item(s) has been paid for you can pick up your item in person at our offices Monday through Friday from 10am-4pm beginning the first business day following the auction. Pickups are not available on Saturdays, Sundays, or national holidays.

Shipping: Circle Auction does not have in-house shipping. We can recommend 3rd party shippers. You are responsible for arranging for shipment and paying all costs involved. We are unable to give refunds due to shipping issues.
If you have any questions regarding these terms please contact Circle Auction by email at : Info@Circle-Auction.com _______________________________________________________________

All lots listed in the auction are offered by Circle Auction LLC (“Circle”) as seller’s agent or owner, and are subject to the following terms and conditions. These terms may be supplemented or amended by us at any time prior to the start of an auction. Registering for an auction by Circle or bidding on any lot by any means, including, but not limited to, in-person, by telephone, or online bidding platforms and applications, establishes the bidder’s agreement and acceptance to be bound by these auction terms and conditions.

Before you place a bid at Circle Auction

General Lot Condition: Circle strongly recommends, if at all possible, prospective bidders to examine lots in person prior to placing a bid. Circle representatives make every attempt to note any issue(s) with condition or item damages in the lot description as a courtesy to bidders, but it is the responsibility of the bidder to determine lot condition prior to bidding. The lack of any note by Circle as to the condition of the lot does not imply that the lot is free of wear and tear and/or in mint condition.

Circle representatives are not professional restorators or conservators, and we suggest interested parties consult with conservation professionals for a more detailed opinion. Unless otherwise stated, all lots are sold “AS IS, WHERE IS,” and all sales are final.

Artist Attribution Convention:

“Artist Name”: Our opinion is that this is a work by the named artist.

Attributed to “Artist Name”: Our opinion is that this is probably a work by the named artist, though with less certainty.

Studio of “Artist Name”: Our opinion is that this a work by an unknown hand in the studio of the named artist, which may or may not have been executed under the artist's direction.

Circle of “Artist Name”: Our opinion is that this a work by an unidentified yet distinct hand closely associated with the named artist, but not necessarily his pupil.

Style of…..; follower of “Artist Name”: Our opinion is that this is a work by an artist working in the named artist's style, contemporary or nearly contemporary, but not necessarily his pupil.

Manner of “Artist Name”: Our opinion is that this is a work in the style of the named artist and of a later date.

After “Artist Name”: Our opinion is that this is a copy of a known work of the named artist.

The term signed and/or dated and/or inscribed means that our opinion is that the signature, date, and/or inscription are from the hand of the artist.

The term bears a signature and/or date and/or inscription means our opinion is that the signature and/or date and/or inscription have been added by another hand.

With signature..., With date..., With inscription...: Our opinion is that the signature/date/inscription is by a hand other than that of the named artist.

Jewelry Lot Condition: All jewelry has been inspected by our in house IIJA Registered Gemologist Appraiser. Unless otherwise stated all grading is done without removing the gemstones from the settings and all weights, measurements and grades are approximate as far as the setting permits. Gemstones are often subjected to various treatments to enhance their appearance. Most often these treatments are normal and acceptable within industry standards. When a treatment is detected that is not normal it will be noted in the description. Identification of some treatments require sophisticated equipment not found in the standard gemological lab and no binding representation can be made for the existence of such a treatment.

All metals and construction methods are identified only to the extent the item permits. Any metal marking stamps are listed in the item description and an acid test is conducted as deemed necessary, and when no metal markings are present on the item.

Any descriptions from outside jewelry appraisals or certifications are not guaranteed by Circle Auction to be accurate, but may be provided for the benefit of the bidder. Different laboratories can differ on their terms and grade assessments. Any paperwork noted to accompany a piece is for the bidders reference and may not be usable to obtain insurance. Most companies and appraisers will update paperwork to a new owner for an additional fee. Circle Auction is not responsible for any transfer of an appraisal to the bidder’s name. It is the bidder's responsibility to obtain a usable insurance report.

Diamond Grading Convention:

We utilize the GIA Color scale when identifying lots that include diamonds. You can refer to this guide here: https://www.gia.edu/gia-about-4Cs-Color. Clarity refers to the impurities in a diamond. All diamonds are graded under 10x magnification. The lower number in a category will have less and/or smaller inclusions than the higher number in the same category.

FL

Flawless

No impurities or blemishes on the surface

IF

Internally Flawless

No impurities and only insignificant blemishes on the surface

VVS1 & VVS2

Very Very Slightly Included

Extremely difficult inclusions to see to the trained eye and only visible under magnification.

VS1 & VS2

Very Slightly Included

Difficult to see to the untrained eye and only visible under magnification.

SI1 & SI2

Slightly Included

Easy to see inclusions when viewed under magnification but not visible without magnification.

I1, I2, I3

Included

Inclusions are visible without magnification. I3 inclusions may affect the stones durability.

Warranty: Neither Circle nor its seller(s) make any representation or warranty, either express or implied, as to the description, quality, authenticity, period, source, or significance of any lot sold, except as to warranty of title. No statements by Circle, its agents, representatives or employees, whether in writing or spoken orally, shall create any representation, warranty or assumption of liability, nor that the winning bidder will receive any reproduction rights or copyrights to lots they purchased. Circle retains and reserves the rights to reproduce its own photography of lots sold.

Circle guarantees, only to the original purchaser of record and only if payment in full is made within 5 business days, authenticity of authorship of a lot for a period of twenty-five days from the date of the auction. If the authenticity of authorship is in question please notify Circle immediately. For a sale to be considered for recension the purchaser must obtain, at the purchaser’s expense, the opinion of a recognized expert in the field, mutually acceptable to Circle and the purchaser. If it is determined to Circle’s satisfaction that the authenticity of authorship is incorrect, the sale will be rescinded, provided the lot is returned to Circle in the same condition as it was at the time of the auction.

Estimates: Estimates for each lot include a low and a high figure. They are provided for the convenience of bidders but do not constitute a guarantee or warranty that the item or lot will close at or between the estimates.

Lots Withdrawn: Circle reserves the right to withdraw any lot prior to the start of the auction and shall not incur liability for withdrawal of said lot(s).

Registering to Bid: To Bid with us, you are required to Register to Bid in advance of the start of the sale. In addition to our general registration requirements, we reserve the right to require the following items: photo identification, bank references, credit card pre-authorization for the low estimate, and/or deposit. If a deposit is paid we will refund the deposit if you are not the high bidder and winner of the lot. Any deposit will be applied to any item for which you are the high bidder.