Extraordinary antique jewellery weeks

Good morning my lovely, it is almost the weekend after this four day bank holiday week!

Burlington Arcade

These past two weeks I have spent working in one of the antique jewellery shops in the beautiful Burlington Arcade, and it has just been such a treat!  I am just writing a couple of in-depth posts but just wanted to let you know that it has involved learning about everything from the history of the monarchy here in the UK and how it affected jewellery designs; we have also looked closer at cuts and colours of diamond and what to look for when you are buying an engagement ring (yup, full post coming up on that too!)…

Diamond rings at Richard Ogden in Burlington Arcade

… how to tell if an emerald is an emerald or a fake stone posing as one and I have seen one of the most intense green emeralds of my life:

Antique emerald ring from Portugal – Harvey & Gore at Richard Ogden

… and I have been able to wear my special antique jewellery every day:

Wearing my antique pearl necklace

… so this is just a preview of a few upcoming posts, so you can probably understand my excitement!  For now I wish you a lovely weekend and look forward to bringing you more sparkling beauties next week!

A glimpse into the history of fashion at the V&A

As we were walking over to the wedding dress exhibition at the V&A, we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by flapper dresses, corsets and other garments from times long gone by:

Following the history of dresses…

Now flapper dresses just become more and more appealing to me!  I personally don’t like to wear very tight fitting dresses, and so I just adore the loosely draped silhouettes of the 1920s dresses.  The original ones also have such beautiful designs and patterns, that make them little pieces of art!

Christian Dior designs at the V&A

Not entirely sure how comfortable I would be wearing these dresses and corsets…?

When you walk along the exhibition – which takes place just around the wedding dress exhibition – you will see such wonderful displays of everything from Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain, Roger Vivier for Dior:

Shoes Roger Vivier (1913-1998) for Dior 1958-60 

Above is a stunning pair of satin embroidered heels with beads, silk and metal thread by Roger Vivier for Dior.  Roger Vivier (1913-98) was a luxury designer who shook the world of fashion in the 30s, when his designs were considered shocking by many major retailers.  His portfolio is very impressive, as he designed for couturiers like Elsa Schiaparelli in the 30s and also Dior from 1953-63.  He worked a lot in expensive materials like silk, pearls, lace and jewels and he is the only one of Dior’s collaborators permitted to have a credit on the final design: ‘Christian Dior crée par Roger Vivier’.  He is also credited with having invented the stiletto!

I know that a lot of you lovely readers have an exquisite sense of fashion, and I would love to hear how you would style an outfit with the shoes above!

More Christian Dior designs 

So if you do pop by the V&A make sure that you also check out this exhibition – these pictures form only a small preview of what you will see there!

Wedding Dresses (1775-2014) at the Victoria and Albert Museum

At the Victoria & Albert Museum, London

My dear friend, if you are going to do one thing this year in the name of art, my suggestion is visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum for their exhibition: Wedding Dresses 1775-2014.  It is everything you could ever wish when it comes to learning about the history of gorgeous wedding dress designs:

Wedding Dresses 1775 – 2014 at the Victoria and Albert Museum, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

You can easily make it the most fabulous day by getting all decked up in your Sunday finest, meeting up with a girlfriend (or boyfriend or friend of any kind!), enjoying these exquisite creations, and finishing off the trip with afternoon tea somewhere nearby and talking through your favourites!  This happens to be exactly what Lady N and I did:

Here I am, just about to go into the V&A – wearing the Decades of Elegance vintage-style leopard bracelet 

… together with the lovely Lady N, who has her vintage pearls on, red lips and a Chanel top – a look that never goes out of style!

The exhibition traces the development of the white wedding dress through history, and it brings us designs from key fashion designers such as Charles Frederick Worth, Norman Hartnell, Charles James, John Galliano, Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Westwood and Vera Wang.  It is just amazing to actually see the wedding dresses that you might have read about in the newspapers a few years ago come alive like this:

Dita von Teese’s wedding dress © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

For example, you might remember the purple dress worn by Dita Von Teese when she married Marilyn Manson?

Gwen Stefani wedding dress and Gavin Rossdale wedding attire © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

… or Gwen Stefani’s white and pink dress when she married Gavin Rossdale?

Silk brocade gown and petticoat, silk covered straw hat and silk satin shoes, 1780 Worn by Jane Bailey for her marriage to James Wickham – Image reproduced by kind permission of the Olive Matthews Collection, Chertsey Museum.

I was obviously over the moon to be able to see the historic wedding dresses – with everything from accessories that were fashionable at the the time, like wedding straw hats in the 18th century…

Embroidered corded silk wedding dress made after a Paquin, Lalanne et Cie Paris model by Stern Brothers, New York, 1890        © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

… to the tiniest waists that required tons of corsets – and may very well have had the 19th century bride fainting to the right and to the left on her big day…

Embroidered silk satin wedding dress designed by Norman Hartnell, 1933 Worn by Margaret Whigham for her marriage to Charles Sweeny © Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans

… to wedding dresses in high society that came in the most breathtaking designs!  One that especially caught my eye was this glorious dress that Margaret Wigham wore for her marriage to Charles Sweeny in the 1930s.  When you visit you must make sure that you watch the video that they are playing in the background, as it shows her walking out the church with her husband, stepping into the waiting car – and having these glorious amounts of fabric fitted into the car around her!

Embroidered silk coat and silk dress designed by Anna Valentine, feather headdress created by Philip Treacy, 2005 – Worn by The Duchess of Cornwall for the blessing after her marriage to HRH The Prince of Wales – Photograph by Hugo Burnand

There are also more recent dresses that we all might remember when they were worn, like this embroidered silk coat and silk dress above, designed by Anna Valentine and feather headdress created by Philip Treacy in 2005 – as worn by The Duchess of Cornwall for the blessing after her marriage to HRH The Prince of Wales.

Kate Moss wedding dress and Jamie Hinch’s wedding attire at the Victoria and Albert Museum © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

And I have saved the best for last: my all time favourite wedding dress, designed by John Galliano and worn by Kate Moss in 2011 when she married Jamie Hinch.  When you read the description about their attire you will find out a very interesting fact about the groom’s tie..!

… I will leave the rest for you to explore on your visit to the V&A and you have until 15 March 2015, which gives you plenty of time to book that flight over to London, a ticket to the exhibition and a fabulous lunch or afternoon tea afterwards!

Wedding Dresses (1775-2014) – 3 May 2014 – 15 March 2015

V&A South Kensington
Cromwell Road
London SW7 2RL

Arabella Bianco’s Vintage Jewellery Collection

Hello my dear, I sure hope you are having a wonderful week in this glorious weather.  London feels like a Mediterranean city with the sun beaming down on us and the trees and flowers so proudly flaunting their summer costumes.

Arabella Bianco at Vintage Modes

As promised in Monday’s post, we are today going to check out Arabella Bianco’s dazzling new home at Vintage Modes in Grays Antique Centre.

Stunning Vintage Bracelet and Necklace set from Arabella Bianco 

I am such a fan of the Arabella Bianco collection because this lady knows her jewellery!  The condition of the pieces is always great and the designs are so exciting, with everything from Christian Dior and Balenciaga to Trifari, Butler & Wilson… and so much more!

Parrot Brooch from Arabella Bianco at Grays Antique Centre

The owner, Lesley Sargeant, started selling fair trade in 2007 at Bromley Town Centre Market, and later expanded into jewellery.  Just like our mantra here on the blog, she adores vintage jewellery because it is so well-made and beautiful, and the finds are always so unexpected!  50s to 80s vintage costume jewellery is their speciality but they stock new vintage style jewellery too.

Yep, rows and rows and shelves of beautiful pieces of jewellery!

You can buy their beautiful pieces from their website, from their store in Vintage Modes at Grays Antique Centre and at vintage events.  Their slogan is the lovely ‘fun fashion with a difference’  and they loosely follow trends to fit with the modern day wardrobe.

And when you pop by the shop do say hi to Lesley from me – and make sure that you ask her about pieces that you are interested in, as she will tell you about the designs and often also the fascinating stories behind them – which is of course what vintage jewellery is all about!

Vintage Pearl and Rhinestone earrings at Arabella Bianco at Grays Antique Centre

Arabella Bianco at Vintage Modes, 1-7 Davies Mews, Mayfair, London W1K 5AB

Vintage Modes in Grays Antiques Centre

Unexpected new streets in London

One of my favourite things about London is discovering a whole new world around the corner of my familiar path.  The other day it was a street, just one down from my usual walk, that I suddenly stumbled across – where rows of tall, Victorian buildings covered in roses stretched up towards the sky and vaults led into the most beautiful little mews.

My favourite is of course when this unexpected finding has something to do with antique jewellery, and today I will take you along to a treasure trove that in the very heart of London’s Mayfair:

Grays Antique Centre, Mayfair

Grays Antique Centre, Mayfair

Just around the corner from Bond Street tube station you will find Grays Antiques Centre.  The front part of the building houses fine antique jewellery, watches, silver, objects d’art etc,  and at the back of the building you will find Vintage Modes, where the most glorious collections of jewellery, vintage frocks, antique lace and textiles reside:

Peeking down the stairs into Vintage Modes at Grays Antique Centre

You enter the building at the back, and you will find that there are several shops lined up along the walls in the upstairs area – with everything from antiques to costume jewellery.  Now make your way downstairs and go all the way to the back, where the walls are draped in red velvet and covered in dresses, hats, shoes and jewellery – you have arrived at Vintage Modes!

A promise of gorgeous vintage clothing and jewellery collections… 

You will meet the following vintage specialists here – these bios are from their own Vintage Modes website:

Vintage dresses and scarves at Vintage Modes

It is obviously all in the sequins and the sparkle!

GILLIAN HORSUP – has been buying and selling vintage costume jewellery and accessories for about 30 years.  She started selling in markets and antiques fairs and is now part of Grays’ Vintage Modes. Gillian sells vintage jewellery including Art Deco, early plastics (such as celluloid and bakelite), jet, Czech and Italian glass, silver, 20th Century, Lea Stein and Butler & Wilson. She also sells vintage bags, compacts and other accessories such as powder boxes.

SUSIE NELSON – is a new addition to Vintage Modes and brings with her a wide knowledge of Vintage clothing and accessories. She has for sale a wide selection of clothes, handbags, hats and other accessories, from the 20th Century onwards – from periods as diverse as Art Deco to 1990s glamour.

JUNE VICTOR – with avid collectors as parents, June’s interest in Vintage clothing has been a natural progression. June began trading in Brighton in 1970, working closely with the TV and film industry, and made the transition to London by opening a shop at Alfies Antique Market.  June has for sale an ever increasing collection of 20th Century, and earlier, costume and accessories. Her stock includes lace, linen, silk, taffeta and embroidered dresses, shawls, hats, bags, umbrellas and much much more. 

… and last but not least, our very own ARABELLA BIANCO, whose pieces have featured quite a few times here on the blog!  We are of course saving a whole blog post to her collection from my last visit, but here is a sneak peek:

A preview of Arabella Bianco’s jewellery collection at Vintage Modes…

So, my lovely, instead of trawling through you regular vintage shops, do pop by Vintage Modes next time!  They are so conveniently situated in Central London and I can promise you that you have never seen anything like this place: the chandeliers and glimmering mirrors will make you feel like you have stepped back in history, to Hollywood’s heydays, and you probably wouldn’t be surprised if you suddenly saw Marlene Dietrich or Brigitte Bardot browsing the collections next to you!

You can find them here: Vintage Modes, 1-7 Davies Mews, Mayfair, London W1K 5AB

Emerald birthstone for the May-beauties

 

Art Nouveau Emerald brooch on Portobello Market

The birthstone for May is the Emerald, all you lucky May-children!  It is one of my absolute favourite gemstones, with colours that span all kinds of glorious shades of green.  The emerald is thought to be a symbol of rebirth and it is also said to give its owner foresight, good fortune and youth. (1)  The largest and highest quality emeralds today are mined in Columbia, but they can also be found in Brazil, Afghanistan, Norway, Austria, Australia, Madagascar and Zambia, and a few more places around the world.

Antique emerald and diamond earrings from Portobello Market

The adoration of emeralds date go far back in time, as tools dating back to 1300 B.C, have been found in emerald mines in Egypt.  This was during the reign of Ramesses II, the third Egyptian pharaoh, who is often regarded as the greatest and most celebrated pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire. (2)  Given the beauty of the emerald, I wasn’t surprised to hear that a famous historical artefact was made of emeralds: the Crown of the Andes which was allegedly created by the last Inca king of Peru, Atahualpa.  I would love to see this crown, which is set with ca. 450 emeralds with a total weight of 1523 carats – if you are having a hard time picturing how much this is, imagine that a regular diamond ring is often around 1 carat, so 1523 times that! (3)

Emeralds were rather popular among the royals in both Babylon and Egypt, and in the latter royals were buried wearing these precious gemstones.  Queen Cleopatra’s emeralds are thought to have originated from mines in Southern Egypt, close to the Red Sea, and she loved them so much that she claimed the Egyptian emerald mines as her own (yup, if I had the power to do that I probably would have done it too!)

Antique Gold Leopard at Grays Antique Market in Mayfair

And over to my favourite part; the many myths surrounding the emerald.  The emerald has been thought to prevent epilepsy, stop bleeding, cure fever and protect the wearer from panic.  The ancient Romans dedicated emeralds to the goddess Venus, as the green gemstone symbolised the reproductive forces of nature.  In the Middle Ages people believed that emeralds held the power to tell the future.

Antique Emerald and Sapphire rings on Portobello Market

Emeralds are so beautiful that I can completely understand the temptation to choose an emerald for your engagement ring!  However, do keep in mind that they are relatively brittle stones and therefore easily damaged, so if you intend to wear your ring every day an emerald might be too soft a choice.  I would therefore recommend that you choose a diamond for your engagement ring, which can withstand the hardships of everyday wear and tear and go for a glorious emerald cocktail ring that you can wear on special occasions and keep safely tucked away in the meantime!

 Sources:

(1) American Gem Society

(2) Wikipeda – Ramesses II

(3) Earthsky.org

Vintage Hat Inspiration from Grandma’

I believe that I have mentioned my dear grandmother a few times by now, and since she has been such a huge inspiration to me when it comes to the blog, I thought that it was time to dig out some of her beautiful creations:

Light Yellow Hat made by my grandmother – perfect for the races!

She used to work a theatrical milliner in Finland and a fabulous saying that she lived by was: “A lady should never leave the house without a hat on!”  And I don’t think that I once saw her outside without a hat!  

Such beautiful handiwork  

It is all in the details…

… like these dainty little flowers that are so beautifully designed…

The more I look at the hat above, the more I am deciding that it must come to London to live with me.  Then I just need a suitable dress and some fabulous horse races to go with it!

Vintage light yellow pillbox hat 

Vintage light yellow pillbox hat from Finland

Lovely little feathery details

This lovely and feminine hat immediately had me researching the history of pillbox hats.  A pillbox hat is defined by Wiki as “a small woman’s hat with a flat crown, straight, upright sides, and no brim.”  Your thoughts might be drawn to Jackie O when you see this hat, as she did indeed wear the pillbox hats so beautifully in the 60’s.  This style of hat became part of her signature style, together with fabulously oversized glasses and shift dresses.

Apparently pillbox hats were originally military headgear, but I am very happy to say that the ladies discovered that they could pull them off much better than the gents – all the needed to do was to scrap the unfashionable chin strap and match the hat with a gorgeous dress!

Turquoise vintage hat with sequins

Turquoise vintage hat with sequins

I have tried to figure out what style of hat this would be categorised under but I can’t find anything similar under either berets or pillbox hats – do you have any thoughts?

This hat is very special to me, as it is in my grandmother’s favourite turquoise colour, and she would wear it all the time!  Such a stylish lady, I should really take a leaf out of her book and pimp up my own style yet another notch.  Do you have any special pieces that have been given to you by your mother or grandmother?  If so then I would love to hear about them!

Nicky Butler’s ancient Egypt-inspired jewellery collection at the British Museum

The impressive entrance to the British Museum

The other day I popped by the British Museum to listen to Nicky Butler introducing his new jewellery range together with Barbara Hulanicki.  You might be familiar with the shop Butler & Wilson, and Nicky was one of the founders back in 1972.  We will find out more about Butler & Wilson in a future post, but today we are looking closer at his fascinating new range that is inspired by the ancient Egyptian collection of the British Museum.  Barbara Hulanicki interviewed Nicky Butler during this presentation, and you will probably recognise her as the founder of the clothing brand Biba, which dates all the way back to 1964.

Nicky Butler and Barbara Hulanicki at the British Museum

The pieces in Nicky Butler’s collection are made with semi-precious stones of turquoise, lapis, moonstone, green chalcedony and amethyst with iconic mouldings of ancient Egyptian objects.  The stones in each piece have been hand-set, that creates such a beautiful collection of statement pieces.  They are arriving at the perfect time, since we are all wearing statement pieces at the moment, whether it is with a simple t-shirt or a structured dress – such versatile pieces!  During the presentation a few beautiful models were showing them off:

Some of the beautiful statement pieces being modelled in the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery

Who said these pieces were only for the ladies?

Stunning pieces worn with a sequin dress

I suspect that I was especially drawn to the collection because of its connection with Art Deco, which we all by now know is my favourite era!  You might in fact remember from an earlier blog post – Eclectica Antique Shop in Wynberg, Cape Town – chapter II – that the Tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered in 1922, and as a result ancient Egypt became a very heavy influence on the Art Deco movement.  Consequently Nicky Butler’s collection drew my thoughts to Art Deco, which added an another layer of brilliance onto these beautifully designed pieces.

The model above is wearing the jewellery with a sequin dress – I would love to find out how you would have worn it?

The Egyptian Sculpture Gallery at the British Museum really is decorated with the most magnificent sculptures

Ancient Egyptian sculptures at the British Museum

I of course found myself straying during the evening, toward the stunning Egyptian sculptures that surrounded the event.

One sculpture more intimidating and fascinating than the other…

If you haven’t been to the museum for a long time – or ever –  I would so recommend a visit.  Strolling among these exquisite sculptures that date so far back in time is the most humbling experience.  I don’t think that anything has ever affected me the way this lion sculpture did that evening – I had to walk very close to it to get past, and for some reason cold shivers went down my spine when I came close to these massive teeth and its angry expression.  Quite a different experience when we are usually so numb to these things from having watched too many scary movies!

A few of the pieces from Nicky’s collection

If you fall in love with any of these pieces you can buy them at the British Museum‘s online shop or at the museum itself – and I was positively surprised to see that they were very reasonably priced, starting at £55 and going up to £275.

A Bespoke Antique Cufflink-search

As most of you already know I also do bespoke antique jewellery searches, so when someone is looking for a special something I am able to help!  Well, a few months ago I embarked on an antique cufflink-journey, as a lovely lady wanted to give her husband a pair of antique cufflinks for his birthday.  The search went from continent to continent (literally, as I was in South Africa at one point where I came across some beautiful cufflinks!) and here is a selection of what I found:

A pair of gold antique cufflinks from Jewel Tree in Cape Town

My first stop was our fabulous Jewel Tree in Cape Town, where the owners showed me the most beautiful range of antique cufflinks…

Antique cufflinks at the Jewel Tree in Cape Town

A pair of exquisite gold cufflinks at Jewel Tree in Cape Town

Antique cufflinks and tie clip at Jewel Tree 

After spending a loong time in the beautiful Jewel Tree I continued down Long Street – which by the way is the perfect street for antique shopping in Cape Town – and ended up at Atkinson’s Antiques.  They also put on a fabulous selection of antique cufflinks for me:

A pair of antique gold cufflinks at Atkinson’s Antiques

These 10 carat gold cufflinks have most likely travelled all way from the US, and cost R2900 (approximately £165).

Antique Cufflinks with engraved Golf Clubs at Atkinson’s Antiques, Cape Town

There is of course alway the option of engraving a symbol of the gentleman’s favourite sport on the cufflinks!

Atkinson’s Antiques, Antique Cufflinks in Silver with Onyx with what we think is the letter “U” engraved

Our lovely lady was looking to engrave the cufflinks with her husband’s initials, which I thought was a wonderful idea – what a personal present!  However, when speaking to an antique trader he advised against that since it brings down the value of the cufflinks once you want to sell them onwards, as finding someone with the same initials will be pretty difficult!  I would however still go ahead and have them engraved because the though here wasn’t to buy them as an investment with the view to one day selling them.   When you buy antiques it can be a good thing to keep in mind not to make changes to the pieces so that they retain their value – or you can just give your children names with the same initials as yours or your partner’s, so that passing any engraved pieces down in line will be easy pie!

A big thank you to:

Jewel Tree – 113 Long Street, 8001 Cape Town and to 

Atkinson’s Antiques – 213/215 Long Street, 8001 Cape Town for letting us view your beautiful collection!  Obviously if you see something you like send me a quick message here on email on info@decadesofelegance.com and I will put you in touch with the right people!

Antique treasures at Cape Town’s Jewel Tree

I hope you all had a lovely Early May Bank Holiday on Monday and it is just wonderful to be back here on the blog with you!

Now, I have been wanting to bring you this post for a long time and we are finally here.  On my latest trip to sunny Cape Town I spent numerous hours in my favourite antique jewellery shop, Jewel Tree.  As always, they had the most exquisite collection on display – everything from dazzling pieces of antique jewellery to their own designs:

Art Deco style diamond ring, new design reusing antique diamonds at Jewel Tree in Cape Town

They design their own pieces by reusing antique cut diamonds, above in the Art Deco taste: a handmade 18ct white gold setting with mille grain set diamonds in an intricate fretwork setting, the center stone is an old Victorian cut diamond, surrounded by six smaller old cuts as well as a further two smaller diamonds and framed with thirty six old cut diamonds – a total diamond weight of 1,9ct.  

A nine stone diamond ring of flower head design

I was not surprised to find that this beauty has now been sold, but we can still admire the stunning design where nine stones create a flower with a combined diamond weight of 1,45cts.  It is set in 18ct gold, the shank is done in yellow gold and the setting finished in white gold.  Swoon!

Antique ring with sapphires and diamonds

So if you are looking for an engagement ring, this is the place to go!  You can choose to get yours designed just the way you want it, or you can pick a piece that has stood the test of time and that sparkles at you with all its brilliance – 100 or so years after it was initially made.

 

Stunning antique silver cocktail shaker and glasses

We were also drawn to the silver pieces in the shop, for example this stunning cocktail shaker with a set of matching glasses – if it was good enough for Gatsby it is good enough for me!

Antique pipe case in silver

One of my favourite thing when it comes to antiques is discovering all kinds of unexpected items!  For example this case in silver where you can see the contour of a pipe – simply a must for all the fashionable gentlemen back in the days!  The pipe case was actually made for Liberty & Co, and one of the two pipes in the case has an amber mouth piece and is marked Liberty & Co on the pipe, with a silver hallmarked collar, and the other is a modern replacement pipe.

Antique fan shaped silver box with hinged cover, made by Walker & Hall, Chester 1901

Antique fan shaped silver box with hinged cover, made by Walker & Hall, Chester 1901

The beautiful interior with its original rich gilding

… not to mention this antique fan shaped silver box with a gilded interior!  These are the most perfect things to give away as a present to someone who already has everything.

Ca 1920s bracelet from Jewel Tree in Cape Town

… and I was just beyond thrilled to have this exquisite silver bracelet, which we think is an American piece from the 20’s.  I will make sure to post a photo very soon, when I am wearing it with one of my favourite dresses – I can’t wait!

A huge thank you to Jewel Tree for having us and we will keep an eye on your Facebook-page where so many of us keep falling in love with all the beautiful pieces that you post!