One of the nation’s largest auctioneers adds a Palm Beach office

What to do when your $10,000 diamond ring loses its sparkle? Or when the $100,000 landscape hanging on your living-room wall loses its appeal?

Call Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.

In December, one of the largest auction houses in the country – Sotheby’s and Christie’s are still the two biggies – added Palm Beach to operations already flourishing in Chicago, Milwaukee and Naples, Fla.

“We realized that we were doing as much business on the Gold Coast as in Naples, so we thought we might as well open an office in Palm Beach too,” Hindman says.

The auctioneer handles everything from furniture to fine art to rare manuscripts, though bling is the hottest South Florida merchandise right now.

“Prices are really strong in all jewelry,” Hindman says. “People are buying tangible assets because they don’t feel comfortable with the stock market or real estate.”

Much of Hindman’s inventory is sold through online auctions and at sales in Naples and Chicago, where Gold Coast items are sometimes shipped. The auctioneer’s specialists appraise all items, including those “unwanted” diamond rings.

Says Hindman: “We get these calls from nice 75-year-old ladies saying, ‘I moved down here to retire and brought all my lovely jewelry that I never wear anymore. I play golf all day. Why don’t I sell it?’

“We say, ‘Absolutely. Sell it and take a trip around the world.’ ”

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, 324 Royal Palm Way, Palm Beach, 561-833-8053, www.Lesliehindman.com

– Dave Wieczorek