Mystery footballer splashes out

A jeweller in Altrincham has confirmed it has sold its most expensive piece of jewellery to date – to an English Premiership football player.

A spokesman for the jeweller, David M Robinson, said that the £250,000 necklace, which consists of 106 diamonds mounted on 18-carat white gold, was purchased for the mystery player's lucky girlfriend.

The buyer is reported to have made several trips to the jewellers before collecting the piece following three months of work on it, reports the Manchester Evening News.

He was also involved in the design process of the necklace, the diamonds for which are some of the purest available anywhere in the world and were imported from South Africa.

The player, believed to be a high-profile member of either Manchester United or Manchester City, and his girlfriend were both said to be "absolutely delighted" with the finished piece.