Russian Art Nouveau at Shapiro & Co

One of the first stands that I visited at the Chelsea Antiques Fair was Shapiro & Co – who usually resides at our favourite Grays Antique Market in Mayfair.  They showed me the most exquisite pieces of antique jewellery:

Shapiro & Co, Russian Gold, Amethyst and Green Garnet Pendant 1908 – 17, £3750

Shapiro & Co, Russian Gold, Amethyst and Green Garnet Pendant 1908 – 17, £3750

We have previously found out that the finest amethysts were historically found in Russia: February Amethyst Allure.  This pendant comes from Russia’s  and was made sometime in between 1908-17, during the exciting Art Nouveau (“New Art”) period.  In Russia designers took inspiration from folk tales and history during the Art Nouveau era, and Moscow and St. Petersburg were the two centres for this “Stil’ Modern”.  The appearance of St. Petersburg today was very much shaped by the Art Nouveau movement and you will find whole suburbs built in the distinctive style (1).

Antique Citrine Cocktail Ring, Shapiro & Co

We also adore large cocktail rings here on the blog, so this stunning citrine ring simply had to be featured in the blog.  Ladies, how would you wear it?  As you know we have a similar ring in the Decades of Elegance collection and one of our models wore it with a blouse and pencil skirt when we took this photo a couple of summers ago:

Styling ideas for a citrine cocktail ring: a dressy blouse and a pencil skirt – and those perfectly painted nails!

You can visit Shapiro & Co at Grays Antique Market where they specialise in jewellery, silver, objects d’art, British arts and crafts and imperial Russian works of art, including Faberge pieces.  Shapiro & Co Stand 380, Gray’s Antiques Market, 58 Davies Street, London, W1K 5LP.

Sources:

(1) Art Nouveau Around the World

Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947) sculpture at the Chelsea Antiques fair

Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947)

At the Chelsea Antiques fair on Saturday I was just delighted to see this beautiful sculpture on display, as it is a Demitri Chiparus – my favourite artist of all time.  You might remember a blog post that I wrote about an antique shop in Wynberg, Cape Town last year:  Eclectica Antique Shop in Wynberg, Cape Town – chapter II ?  A great deal of focus in that post is on Chiparus’ sculptures, so do pop back over to refresh your memory – I am pretty sure that you will immediately be able to identify his specific style.

Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947)

I just find the way that he captures mid-dance movements to be extraordinary.  It is as if this lady will dance out of the photo any moment and continue her dance in front of us.  Just look at the graceful movement in the photo above, and the amazing design work in the picture below, where the details of the dress are so intricate and delicate (I would wear that outfit any day!!!)

Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947) 

The lady who had this sculpture on display runs a blog about extraordinary things that happen in the world, which you can find here: Eluxe TV.

Oh I do wish I had taken a photo of what she was wearing, as it was just fabulous – and something that so many young ladies who love vintage clothes strive to achieve these days!  A pair of oversized earrings, that most likely date back to the 60s, looked just right with her outfit that included pinks and reds – two colours that can sometimes clash terribly, unless you have that impeccable sense of style and know how to make it look haute couture instead, which she most certainly did.  We had a wonderful chat about antiques and life, and I do hope to run into her again at another antique fair – maybe I will be able to get a photo for you guys then instead!

Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947)

It really has been such a wonderful whirlwind of emotions and exciting things happening here on the blog this week, so thanks for popping by and I will see you again on Monday – have a lovely weekend!

Sue Norman – Blue and White Antique China

When walking around the Chelsea Antiques Fair on Saturday I soon came to Sue Norman’s stand, where the beautiful combination of blues and whites immediately captured my Finnish heart:

Sue Norman Blue and White China

It all looked so inviting with these beautiful tulips…

I really loved the presentation of the pieces, with delicate tulips bringing us the promise of spring and sunshine, and fresh lemons giving and idea of how we can put these beauties to use at home.

… and why not keep some lemons in these lovely bowls?  It is easy to keep special pieces on a shelf to be looked at – but it makes it all the more special to actually put them to use!

Some of the plates carry scenic pictures from the 1800s, which means that they were made 200 years ago, and have remained in the most beautiful condition.  I loved reading the most fascinating descriptions on the labels:

‘Dinner Plate, Ridgway “Eastern Port” Circa 1815′

‘Egg Cup, Rustic Scene, ca 1820’s’

‘Two handled pot. Mason’s Ironstone. circa 1815’ …

The collection includes everything from plates and platters to flower holders and bathroom items – and if any of these lovelies take your fancy then do pop over to Sue Norman’s website to find out more!

A lovely postcard that Sue sends out every year, and apparently some of her followers love them so much that they collect the cards!

Our interview in the fabulous Tribe Magazine

“As the founder and editor of Decades of Elegance, the Swedish/Finnish style maven invites her readers into the fascinating world of  jewellery trading and takes them on a treasure hunt that spans the hustle and bustle of London’s markets, antique auctions and even the shores of South Africa to source the most special pieces.” – Tribe Magazine, March 2014

The Decades of Elegance interview in Tribe Magazine

Oh I am just delighted to be featuring in the lovely online wonder: Tribe Magazine!  They invited me to talk about Decades of Elegance and what it is like to be a blogger, and we discussed everything from researching gemstones to finding inspiration and where Decades of Elegance will one day go.  It is such a privilege to be doing these interviews, as answering the questions always give me the opportunity to think about why I am running the blog – and what I want to achieve with it.  Those are easy questions to answer of course: we all need to escape our busy lives every now and then, and be allowed to indulge in beautiful things and interesting stories.  The blog is hopefully a place that sweeps you off your feet and inspires you to wear things that you wouldn’t have worn otherwise – or makes you take out those precious pieces of jewellery that are kept in a safe place “for a special occasion” and wear them today, just because they make you feel extra lovely!

I would love to find out if you have a favourite blog post so far: is there anything that has stayed with you during our journey through antique shops, weddings and trips to other continents?

Thank you Tribe for having us, and thank you dear for popping by today!

The Hearing Dogs Charity at Chelsea Antiques Fair

So on Friday I visited the Chelsea Antiques Fair at Old Chelsea Town Hall, as you might remember from Friday’s post: Heading off to the Chelsea Antiques Fair!

The Chelsea Antiques Fair at the beautiful Old Chelsea Town Hall

I just love visiting Old Chelsea Town Hall, as it is such a beautiful venue.  It also creates the perfect backdrop to an antiques fair – let’s take a closer look at the decor:

Such beautiful chandeliers and I love the soft turquoise walls with the golden details…

Chelsea Old Town Hall

I absolutely love dogs, so first of all I have to take you to the Hearing Dogs stand: the charity supported by the fair.

Hearing Dogs Charity, supported by The Chelsea Antiques Fair

As I was wandering around the fair I noticed that some of the objects were marked with a little red dot, and I found out that these were the selected objects where a percentage of the sales would go directly to the charity.  Here is one of my favourites:

“Puppy Toothache” at the Hearing Dogs charity, Chelsea Antiques Fair 

Puppy Toothache – gilt bronze study from early 20th century 

And these handsome guys kept an eye on the fair for us:

At the Hearing Dogs Charity at The Chelsea Antiques Fair

We will visit a number of other stands later on this week but I also wanted to give you guys a quick heads up that there is a fabulous antique auction at Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers in Surrey on Wednesday 26th March at 11:30 (you might recognise Catherine Southon from various BBC Antiques programmes!)  It seems that the bidding will start at very reasonable levels for quite a few objects, so it could be a really interesting one to visit – especially if it is one of your first auctions experiences!

Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers, next sale at The Chateau in Shirley Hills, Surrey on Wed 26th March 2014 at 11:30am

The sale can be viewed on 25th & 26th March at The Chateau, Coombe Lane, Shirley, Surrey CR0 5RE.  For more details, you can visit her website: www.catherinesouthon.co.uk.

Heading off to the Chelsea Antiques Fair!

Oh dear, it is just one of those days…!

It started out so well, as I was very excited to be heading out to the antiques fair that we chatted about in Monday’s post: The Chelsea Antiques Fair.  I had decided to wear one of my favourite vintage dresses, this blue sweetie from Shrewd:

Blue vintage shift dress from Vintage Shrewd, Dorking, Surrey

… and to match the lovely blue colour I picked out these antique gold and pearl earrings with sapphires that I picked up at an antique fair in Surrey a few months ago:

Antique gold and pearl earrings with sapphires…

My thing is not to wear a lot of vintage clothing, instead I like to mix antique jewellery with contemporary outfits, so today’s outfit was a very unusual one for me – and was really pleased with how the whole look came together:

… vintage dress and earrings – my perfect outfit when scouting for antiques!  Or so I thought…

However, fate had a different plan and so I managed to squirt some egg on the dress during breakfast (does anyone know how to get egg stains off your clothes by the way!?)  and instead I will be wearing my beloved snake necklace, a white t-shirt and black skinny jeans.  I whisked my hair up in a quick side-bun as it makes it is easier to take photos, and I intend to take a lot of those today at the fair!

And so here is the final outfit for the day!

Okay so I have my camera, handbag and phone ready, and can’t wait to upload some glorious jewellery photos for you on Instagram – so follow us here today for all the fabulous updates!  Time to head off to Chelsea Old Town Hall and see what sparkling treasures are up for sale today!

Wishing you a lovely Friday dear!

A sunny walk to Portobello Market

Hello my dear, today I would like to take you on a very peaceful wander around Portobello Market, where we will be accompanied by the most glorious afternoon sunlight:

Just one of the beautiful Victorian terraced buildings in Notting Hill 

I tend to stray off the beaten track and take in all the beautiful Victorian terraced houses on the side roads of Portobello Road.

Portobello Market Antique Books, Books Calling

I stopped by a stand with the most curious collection of vintage and antique books: Books Calling (the link takes you to their eBay store).  There were lots of beautiful first editions and quirky vintage books, for example the book in the photo above: Keeping a Dog from 1961!

Victorian Horses and Carriages ‘Books Calling’ on Portobello Market

‘Books Calling’ on Portobello Market

Portobello Market really is one of the best places to go for birthday presents, as you can be sure that no one else will be bringing the birthday child the same thing.

Portobello Market – Antique Pocket Watches

Japanese Antique Vase – Portobello Market

At the next stand I admired the pocket watches that you can see above.  I do love how the afternoon light plays with them and lights up their pretty little faces.  There were just so many lovely things to look at, and it is so nice to know that if you have any questions the traders are always there to help.

The food market was ever so alluring with freshly baked croissants, cheeses from around the world, fresh vegetables and fruit… I would so warmly recommend that you visit the market either on a Friday or a Saturday in the spring!

Beautiful spring blossoms in Notting Hill

The Chelsea Antiques Fair – 19-23 March 2014

… a lovely invitation has come through:

The Chelsea Antiques Fair at Chelsea Town Hall 19.23 March

The Chelsea Antiques Fair will be running this week from Wednesday 19 until Sunday 23 March 2014 and we will be able to see the collections of around 35 specialist dealers at this beautiful venue.  (You might remember that we visited Chelsea Old Town Hall for the Frock Me! Vintage Fair last year?  The building is such a beautiful setting for these fairs!)  At the antique fair there will also be many affordable objects, in additions to all the exquisite highlights, and we are of course most excited about all the stunning jewellery.  Here is a sneak peek:

Antique Yellow Diamond Ring at the Chelsea Antiques Fair

A platinum carved crystal and onyx diamond brooch with cupids playing musical instruments ca.1910

And for those of you living in London, I would love to see you there, so do pop by!  I will be there on late Friday morning, so if you see me wandering around with my camera do come and say hello – and browse some beautiful sparkle with me!

The fair is supporting the Hearing Dogs charity

I was also delighted to hear that the fair is supporting the Hearing Dogs charity and that a percentage of the sales will go directly to them.  The charity trains hearing dogs to alert deaf people to important sounds and danger signals, providing independence, confidence and companionship.  Now this – coupled with the knowledge that buying vintage/antiques is a sustainable way of shopping – has made me even more excited to visit the fair!  Hope to see you there my dear!

Mid-Victorian French Jet necklace in Cape Town

Good morning my dear, and what a beautiful morning it is here in London!  On my run along the Thames I couldn’t help but stop to admire the haze that lay so beautifully over the river.  The picture was perfected by four Canada geese flying so peacefully in formation, just a meter above the water surface toward the sunrise.  I hope you are able to take a few moments out of your busy day to take in little details like these around you, that can otherwise so easily slip us by.

Hazy London morning by the Thames

Now one of my favourite things with the blog is seeing the fabulous pieces from the Decades of Elegance-collection that have found new homes, being worn by their new owners!  You might remember the mid-Victorian French jet necklace whose acquaintance we made a few years ago here on the blog?  Well, it has belonged to my dear mama for quite some time now and she was wearing it around Cape Town, which I just couldn’t wait to share with you:

A young seal admiring the mid-Victorian French Jet necklace 

I have already posted a few photos on Instagram of the entertaining seal family in Kalk Bay – they put on quite the show when the fishing boats come in to offload their catch!  In the photo above you can see how one of them is very curious about our little photo shoot, and he kept swimming around and doing little tricks for us.

A black necklace is so versatile as it matches more or less everything in your wardrobe.  I love the combination of blue, white and black here.

mid-Victorian French Jet necklace, Kalk Bay, Cape Town

So all of you lovely ladies who have a piece of Decades of Elegance at home: do send me a photo and I will post it here for the rest of the world to see!  Happy Friday my sweets, hope you have a wonderful weekend!

The beautiful coastline of Cape Agulhas, South Africa

So a few of you have asked for more photos from South Africa, and I thought that today would be the perfect time to pop by the beautiful Cape Agulhas, where an antique lighthouse is one of the main attractions:

The Lighthouse at Cape Agulhas –  the southernmost point of Africa

It is easy to believe that Cape Point is the southernmost point of Africa, but this title is in fact held by Cape Agulhas – approximately a three hour drive from Cape Town.  Agulhas presents us with jagged coast lines where many ships have met the end of their journey, as well as the most beautiful views of the Indian Ocean meeting the Atlantic Ocean.  The lighthouse above was built in 1848 and is now the second oldest working lighthouse in South Africa.  These days it houses the lighthouse museum and a restaurant.

One of the shipwrecks at Cape Agulhas

The coast of Agulhas is quite the shipwreck graveyard on the website Safarinow I found a few of them listed:  The Arniston (1815), Cooranga (1964), Elise (1879), European (1877), Federal Lakes (1975), Geortyrder (1849), Gouritz (1981), and Gwendola (1968).

The beautiful views of a few white houses against the ocean at Cape Agulhas

I just loved how peacefully these white houses stood against all the different shades of blue.  If you decide to visit this glorious place, you will have a wonderful time collecting shells and stones in all shapes imaginable along the shoreline.

Cape Agulhas sunset

The evenings of our stay greeted us with the most stunning sunsets.