Carved Turquoise Earrings

Turquoise, emerald and diamond earrings, Art Deco

Yesterday a customer came into the antique jewellery shop where I work and wanted to try on a pair of turquoise earrings from our window.  I went to get them out and judge by my delight when I realised that I hadn’t actually seen them before (it is always exciting when new jewellery comes into the shop, as every piece teaches you something new) and I loved them!  Let’s take a closer look:

Turquoise, emerald and diamond earrings from Moira Fine Jewellery

You guys probably by now know my love for the Turquoise stone, which has been my grandmother’s favourite all these years.  She is so cute when she dresses up in a turquoise outfit top to toe and wears some turquoise jewellery with that – and a hat, always a hat!

Okay so back to the earrings: we weren’t completely sure of their age, but to me they look like your typical 1920s – or even 1910 – design, which is given away by that beautiful millegrain setting (when then metal is pulled up into tiny little beads along the edge).  At the top we have a natural pearl, which is a very rare thing these days and tends to fetch top dollars.  Suspended from the pearl is a diamond and emerald set cap withand on the bottom a carved Persian turquoise.

So these beauties are from Moira Fine Jewellery and I suspect that they won’t be sticking around in the shop for too long so I intend to spend all of today looking at them.

Have a lovely day my dear!

Well Diamonds Sure Are a Girl’s Best Friend

Hello dearest, I know that I haven’t written in a long time but things have been pretty hectic all around – and you can always follow me on the Decades of Elegance Instagram page, as that one definitely gets updated on a regular basis!  Now let me take you for a quick spin at the antique jewellery shop to show you what I have been up to lately:

Oh you know, just another week at work, trying on a pair of Diamond Drop Earrings from Moira Fine Jewellery

In the photo above I was trying on a pair of antique-style diamond drop earrings from Moira Fine Jewellery.  The earrings are a “bow and swag design” and they feature old cut and rose cut diamonds and the stones are mounted in silver upon gold.  This was a key feature of the Victorian era, as it made the diamonds face up whiter than they would if mounted in yellow gold.

Floral Diamond Earrings from Richard Ogden

One of the things that has been taking up my time is measuring diamond weight – and yes, the calculator above gets more attention that any of the pieces of jewellery in the shop!

Floral Diamond Earrings from Richard Ogden

Diamonds are measured in carats, and one carat equals 0.2 grams – in other words five carats would weigh 1 gram.  So whenever I do valuations for insurance at the jewellery shop I will count all the diamonds in a piece and measure their size in order to determine their value.  In the photo above you can see the metal thingy that is used for determining the size of very small diamonds – I just always forget what the little tool is called – stencil?!

Diamond Bracelet 

Art Deco Diamond Bracelet at Richard Ogden

And just to finish off the post: a couple of breathtaking Art Deco diamond bracelets, definitely something to keep dreaming about.  I know that these would both go so beautifully with all outfits in my wardrobe..!

How to throw a 1920s Great Gatsby party in style

Hello sweetheart, I wanted to tell you about this wonderful 1920s style Great Gatsby birthday party that I went to a couple of weeks ago, because it made me realise that I have been born in the wrong decade for sure!  I had far too much fun planning my outfit, hair and makeup (and far too little time to execute it all!) and it was so wonderful to spend the evening among all these beautiful feathers, pearls and jewellery!  I shall begin by telling you how I put my outfit together (clearly the pressure was on, with all my antique jewellery experience!!)

                      A vintage boa, a sequin silver flapper dress and vintage heels

I paid a visit to Vintage Shrewd in Dorking for inspiration and ended up finding this glorious black, 1930s (close enough to the 20s) ostrich boa, which I thought was the perfect accompaniment to my silver sequin (close enough to be) flapper dress and my vintage heels (that are probably 1940s, but oh well!)  As for my makeup I spent far too many hours studying 1920s makeup clips on youtube, and as with all things vintage it is so interesting to see how it all fits together into the different times in history… let me tell you more:

1920s hair and make up, vintage boa.  Please ignore the sultry look and the pout – when in 1920s red lips one does however get away with anything!

1920s red lips – highlighting the centre of the mouth and avoiding the corners to create a proper pout

During the 1920s makeup became available to ladies of all social classes, so with this new exciting way of transforming your appearance, ladies were layering it all on!  Eyes went dark dark dark and eyebrows very thin and drawn quite far down on the sides; suddenly lipstick was applied in public with the trendy colours ranging from red to plum.  I didn’t actually have time to buy any plum coloured lipstick, so I stuck to my favourite red one from Mac – Satin.  I started out by drawing the contours with a red lip pencil, highlighting a soft “cupid’s bow” shape, and I also made sure not to go all the way out to the corners of my mouth, to create that 20s pout that was so desirable (however, my thoughts kept wandering over to Helena Bonham Carter in Alice in Wonderland, which was not exactly the look I was going for..!)

Andrew Prince headpiece

I also ended up wearing this headpiece by our very own Andrew Prince.  I curled my hair and rolled it up in a bun-like creation – leaving a few strands to hang down to frame the face.  As for my jewellery I wore a 1920s bracelet from Cape Town, some drop earrings and an agate ring with marcasites, not to take away focus from the headpiece – although the 20s is the one period that is very forgiving if you want to pile on lots of jewellery!

And over to the other guests – I LOVE how everyone made such an effort, and managed to capture so many different details of the 20s – you will see what I mean:

OMG how much do we love the looks of these 1920s people!?  

The lady on the far left is wearing a glorious hat, which became the talking point of the party – we all loved it!  In the middle the long sequin dress shows how fun the decade was, with extraordinary clothing designs that would sparkle and shine until the small hours!  And our dapper gentleman on the right was correct from top to toe – including his super awesome white shoes, as shoes were a very important detail for the 20s gents, and used to perfect their look and make a statement!

And some more fashionable 1920s ladies…

And in the photo above, on the far left we have the perfect 1920s bob haircut; the ladies of the time would chop off their long, luscious locks, and wear the most creative headpieces with their new, short hairdos!  Second to the left we have the fabulous birthday girl in the Daisy Buchanan headpiece and a long sequin dress.  Second from the right we have the period typical contrast of white and black, which you also find a lot of in 1920s Art Deco jewellery design – strong colours against white, love!  And on the far right the marked drop-down waist which was so fashionable at the time, not to mention rows and rows of pearls – thank you Coco Chanel!

A champagne coupe tower – doesn’t get much more fabulous than this..!

Pearls for the girls, feathers, glitter and sparkle – I was in heaven!

And then we danced and ate the night away among all these glorious 20s decorations – check out the little champagne glass tower, just amazing!!!

I mean, who doesn’t need a Pictorial Review Fashion Book!?

The handsome Bentley 

… and finally, since we are on the subject of the 20s: Bentley above is a Newfoundland dog – and most of today’s Newfoundland’s can be traced back to a English show dog named “Siki”, who lived in the 1920s.  “Siki was an outstanding example of the breed, but more importantly, he was a very prepotent sire that produced outstanding progeny.  Siki and three of his sons were imported into the United States and when crossed with the American Newfoundland, began the definition of the Newfoundland standards as we know them today.  Almost all Newfoundland’s can trace their pedigrees back to Siki” – including Bently here. (1)

Source:

(1) Watercubs and Kivisilmän – The Newfoundland – Breed and History

Decades of Elegance Summer Look-Back

Hello my dearest, I hope you are having a lovely summer week so far!  I am very excited as I have just found my camera, after having lost it about three months ago!!  And no, I don’t know how it ended up behind the fridge, but I will make sure to put it to great use again.

Vintage 1950s Necklace i Multi Colours

I have had an admin day today with my photos and thought that a little look-back at these past few years was in place!  In the photo above I am wearing one of my own favourite pieces – a 1950s costume jewellery necklace that my dear sister gave me for my 30th birthday.  She envisaged me wearing it with a white dress, and so for her 30th birthday party this is what I ended up in – a white silk and lace dress by Haiku Kimono.

Onyx and Marcasite Art Deco Cocktail Ring

Onyx and Marcasite Art Deco Cocktail Ring and a very handsomely dress Tedi

And at her 30th birthday party my sister then wore this Decades of Elegance Art Deco onyx and marcasite ring, and she paired it up with a white shift dress in silk by Haiku Kimono and her hair so beautifully half up half down with a black bow.

Vintage-Style Leopard Bracelet at Marys Living and Giving Event in 2013

And of course there was this glorious Leopard bracelet, vintage style and also Cartier style – you might know how beautifully Cartier designs their leopard jewellery pieces, and this one always makes me think of their designs!

I would love to hear about your favourite summer styles and what vintage or antique jewellery you wear at the moment, so please email me a photo and write a few lines: info@decadesofelegance.com

Happy Summer!

1920s Diamond Cocktail Watches

Ohh can I just share my latest obsession with you guys?!  Diamond set cocktail watches from the 1920s…

I am in love with these two 1920s cocktail watches from Moira...

These two beauties came into the shop recently and belong to Moira Fine Jewellery, and the owner told me that it is quite rare to find watches that are also set with rubies or emeralds – usually they “only” feature diamonds.  Ahh the craftsmanship here is just exquisite, look at the flow of the gemstones, how evenly set they are without any interfering metal in between.

That is actually another thing I wanted to talk to you about; I speak to a lot of lovely people who are looking for engagement rings, and I know that many come into the shop for inspiration and then order their things online or have them made elsewhere.  That is totally fine, but the sad part is when they then bring in the jewellery a few months later and ask us to help repair them, because the stone is rattling in the mount or diamonds have fallen out… There is a reason why some pieces are cheaper online and you have to ask yourself if you want a ring that you can wear for the rest of your life, knowing that it is of the best quality – or if you want to cut corners now and then deal with the problems as they arise.  A handmade ring mount designed for your diamond is a million times better than a mass-produced cast mount, where any old diamond has been set… just something to keep in mind!

All of these beautiful antique pieces were handmade and these watches are perfect examples of what the end product would look like:

Two stunning cocktail watches from Moira Fine Jewellery – the left one set with rubies and the right one set with emeralds.  Very unusual design, as mostly they are only diamond set 

They obviously would only be worn at special occasions – another thing for us to remember with antique jewellery; ladies of the time wouldn’t do a lot of housework and gardening, so the jewellery wouldn’t have been made with that kind of work in mind.  That is why one has to be extra vigilant with older jewellery and make sure to have them checked over by a jewellery once a year so that the claws are intact and holding the diamonds the way they are supposed to!

Now if only I had the perfect party to wear one of these to…

Aladdin’s Cave at Christique Antique Centre

A stunning old picture, ca 1920s, that so beautifully overlooks the vintage jewellery  

So I spent a lot of time in Dorking last week, going through the never-ending treasure troves that are the antique and vintage shops: I visited two divine afternoon tea cafés and found the most glorious vintage glassware in the shape of champagne coupes and wine glasses.  I had a reeeeeally long wander through Christique Antique Centre, as around every corner you find something new that you just HAVE to have!  Love it.

Rummaging through these cabinets and imagining what stories the vintage pieces would tell if they could speak…

I will write a few posts on Christique and I wanted to start out by taking you to their vintage clothing and accessories section, which is located up a winding staircase in which you will bump your head in the low tudor style ceiling if you are not careful!  It is all part of the charm!!

An old wedding dress just waiting to be worn again – pretty sure you could find a whole outfit for your wedding in this shop – check out the fabulous gold heels on the right!

In there you just want to get dresses up in one of the beautiful gowns hanging from the rails, drape some pearls around your neck and wear lots of red lipstick, 20s style!

Just one of the rails with beautiful pieces of vintage clothing.  I would recommend going to a vintage shop to buy for example a dress if you are going to a wedding.  It is just lovely to see the exquisite designs and also knowing that no one else will wear the same dress! 

You can spend hours sifting through the clothes here… and yes, I know that vintage furs are a hot topic – is it alright to buy them or not?  Would be interested to hear your thoughts on it… would you wear vintage fur? 

Diving in, head first into this glorious treasure trove of vintage jewellery and accessories!

I have a couple of weddings coming up this year, so I am definitely coming back here for some fabulous accessories that will go with my dresses!  I am quite tempted to wear a hat but I will be travelling quite far for both weddings, so might have to give that a miss… but when one tries on these beauties it is hard to think rationally!

Moira Fine Jewellery at Richard Ogden in the Burlington Arcade

Such a beautiful cushion-cut diamond ring, with a 5.57ct old-cut diamond, micro pave-set round brilliant-cut diamond surround and shoulders from Moira Fine Jewellery

I am so pleased to bring you today’s post, where we are getting to know Moira Fine Jewellery, a family-owned antique jewellery shop with the most beautiful jewellery collection.  My favourite part is probably the 1920s section – they always have me dreaming away to the Great Gatsby cocktail parties with beautiful flapper dresses and fabulous Art Deco clutches and hairpieces!

Antique diamond set cluster ring, mounted in 18ct yellow – probably late Victorian.  From Moira Fine Jewellery

Their collection ranges from twentieth century signed originals from design houses like Cartier, Tiffany & Co, van Cleef & Arples – obviously the fabulous Art Deco period, as well as 1940s gold work, and over to the modernist creations of the 1950s to the 1980s (think big and bold!).  They also carry a selection of classic and vintage engagement rings that get a LOT of attention from the people passing by the shop!

A vintage 18ct yellow and white gold, evening clutch bag, set with diamonds, by Chaumet. Circa 1950s. From Moira Fine Jewellery

The family has built their stunning antique jewellery range with regular exhibitions in Palm Beach, New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas; the Far East – Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore; and Europe – the Olympia and LAPADA London shows.  It is so much fun seeing all the jewellery get packed up to be taken across the world – and to see what returns to the shop afterwards!

Aaaand how much do we love these?  Can you imagine them as wedding earrings for example, with a beautiful vintage wedding dress?  Diamond set long drop earrings in platinum with a total of 11.44ct of round brilliant-cut, baguette-cut and briolette-cut diamonds – from Moira Fine Jewellery

And those of you who follow us on Instagram have already seen some of their beautiful pieces that I have had the pleasure of playing around with in the shop:

A pair of 4ct diamond stud earrings from Moira Fine Jewellery 

Antique style snake bracelets from Moira Fine Jewellery – the one on the left being my very favourite, which I would love to wear with a white dress and some more mixed colour jewellery – gold and sparkle

A heavenly aquamarine and diamond pendant

So if you are looking for the most exquisite pieces of antique and vintage jewellery – and some contemporary pieces made in a classic style, then you really must pop by Richard Ogden in the Burlington Arcade, where the collection of Moira Fine Jewellery is on display.

Moira Fine Jewellery at Richard Ogden, 28 Burlington Arcade, London, W1J 0NX

A Bakelite Cuff from the Roaring 20s

Good evening my lovely, I hope you have had a fabulous day in the sunshine!  Today’s post is about an amazing piece of history that I came across an antiques fair the other day:

1920s green bakelite cuff jewellery

It is a green Bakelite cuff, mostly likely from the American Roaring 20s!  The beautiful ladies of the time would probably have worn it with some matching earrings, a necklace and most likely also a flapper dress.

1920s green bakelite cuff 

Bakelite is a type of plastic that was popular in jewellery during the Art Deco period –  invented and patented by chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863-1944) in 1907.  It was first used for industrial purposes, but eventually its versatility started shining through, when people realised that it could be moulded into various lovely designs and so it became a popular material in jewellery.  It was especially great during the Depression era, as its low cost or happy colours made it into a very popular choice of material.

The exquisite design of the hinge at the back of the cuff 

Today we can find antique bakelite items displayed in museums and they can fetch large sums when sold, partly because of their distinctive look but also because they represent an era when fashion items became affordable to all – as opposed to earlier times, when only the wealthy were able to indulge in fashion and consumer goods.

This little beauty is priced at £450 and if you are interested in it, please do send me an email to info@decadesofelegance.com – and I will put you in touch with the seller of the piece, the lovely Zena.

Interview with Andrew Prince – Downton Abbey’s jewellery designer

Today’s post is a dream come true for me, as we are meeting Andrew Prince – the jewellery designer who puts the sparkle and brilliance into our favourite Downton Abbey:

Andrew Prince – photography by Catherine

For those of you who are not yet familiar with it, Downton Abbey is a tv-series set in a (fictional) Yorkshire country house called Downton Abbey.  We are following the lives of the aristocratic family Crawley and their servants during the reign of King George V, and as you can imagine. every episode brings us the most stunning outfits, jewellery and intrigues.  In the midst of all this style and elegance is Andrew Prince, who started working his magic on the jewellery in the third series.

The beautiful Lady Rose in an Andrew Prince necklace.  The other stars also wearing some of Andrew’s creations.  Copyright: Carnival Films

Andrew, what was the first piece of jewellery that you ever designed?

The first piece I ever made was a ring for my grandmother out of wire when I was 3.  It gave her a rash and she still has the piece.  A few years later I made a necklace for my mother using the embellishments from her wedding dress.  She was not happy.

Maggie Smith wearing jewellery designed by Andrew Prince  Copyright: Carnival Films

What do you do for Downton Abbey?

I did the majority of the major pieces, especially for Maggie Smith (Lady Violet Crawley in the series); the tiaras and mainly the impact pieces.  I also do many of Lady Cora Crawley’s jewellery (played by Elizabeth McGovern) and in total I have made about 40-50 pieces for them.

Mysore Tiara by Andrew Prince for Downton Abbey

When did you start designing for them?

Caroline McCall the costume designer contacted me to work on the third series.  I always try to ensure that the pieces are absolutely correct for the characters, as it is vital to get it right in such an important tv-series.

Pendant earrings by Andrew Prince for Downton Abbey

Have you visited the set of Downton?

Yes I have and visiting the set makes you realise just how much work is being put in.  Being there is certainly interesting and seeing the jewellery and the costumes together is always thrilling, not to mention how lovely the stars are in real life.

Wide Scroll Choker Flat by Andrew Prince for Downton Abbey

What piece of jewellery has been your favourite one to design?

One of the biggest pieces that I ever made and it was something that I had in mind for years!  It was made out pearls and crystals and draped down the back.  Surprisingly it sold to a lady who was just under 5 foot (150cm) but it looked magnificent on her!

Large drop back jewel necklace by Andrew Prince

People in the industry who have worked with Andrew keep praising the historic accuracy of his designs, and whenever I have a very specific question about antique jewellery my colleagues always say that I must ask Andrew, as he is like a “walking encyclopedia of antique jewellery”!

A crystal encrusted comb by Andrew Prince

Also, as quoted on Andrew’s website: “He realised that beautiful jewellery didn’t require expensive stones, and that it was the elegance of the design and the quality of the workmanship that truly mattered.”  And it really is such a treat to be able to buy the most exquisite pieces of jewellery, knowing that they are all within our price range (the medium sized earrings are all under £100 and wedding tiaras tend to cost between £220-£450).

Video: Television Costume Design – Andrew Prince

If you click on the link above and go to the third video from the top, you will see a clip of Andrew talking us through some of the Downton Abbey costume designs – and I just love how passionate he is about the subject of jewellery design!

I may have managed to get my hands on some of Andrew’s crystal tiara’s at Richard Ogden…

The other day I was able to have a play around with a few of Andrew’s tiaras at Richard Ogden in Burlington Arcade, and as you can imagine I was in jewellery heaven!  Now all the tiaras, hair accessories and special pieces are all still made by Andrew himself; he meets clients individually to discuss the pieces, which then allows him to fit the jewellery perfectly.  Smaller pieces are mostly created in his two workshops, and he oversees the creation of them all to make sure that they achieve his exacting standards.

A selection of Andrew Prince’s Jewellery Collection         Copyright: Sophie Mutevelian

Andrew’s pieces have also been worn by celebrities like Michael Jackson (a large crystal and pearl shoulder jewel) and Shirley Bassey (necklaces). For all of you Swedish readers it might be fun to know that Countess de Gunzburg Backman wore one of Andrew’s tiaras to Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding.

You can see all of Andrew Prince’s beautiful pieces on his website: Andrew Prince – fine crystal jewellery.

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!