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!

Magnificent Jewels at Sotheby’s Auction, New York

A sneak peek from Sotheby’s upcoming auction Magnificent Jewels…  Lot number 263. Cultured Pearl and Diamond Bracelet Clip-Brooch combination and a pair of Earclips

Hello dearest, so I will be going away for two weeks to our lovely South Africa, and since the weight of my laptop is about half the checked-in luggage allowance, I must leave the laptop behind and the blog will be back again the week starting 4th of May!  But before I bid you farewell, I have a few wonderful jewellery events to share with you:

Magnificent Jewels by Sotheby’s on 21 April at 3pm

Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels auction is coming up on 21 April and here on the blog we are just beyond ourselves with excitement:  many of the pieces are spring-themed and all these beautiful colours and designs just make us want to dress up in pastels, sun hats and light summer dresses.  We have also learnt that Sotheby’s will be partnering with eBay on this occasion, so it will be the first time the jewellery sale is available on eBay’s live auctions platform.  It means that even if we are not in New York, and even if we can’t afford these amazing pieces, we can still watch the bidding live – a bit like some high-end auction-window-shopping really!  And I have of course picked out a few pieces that I thought you might love:

153. PLATINUM, PADPARADSCHA SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND RING, CARTIER
Estimate $125,000 – $150,000  Centering a square-cut padparadscha sapphire weighing approximately 13.10 carats, accented by single-cut diamonds weighing approximately .25 carat, size 5¾, signed Cartier, numbered 3998311.

What an extraordinary stone!  We haven’t yet learnt about Padparadscha Sapphires here on the blog, but will do in an upcoming post.  The definition of Padparadscha Sapphires is debated within the jewellery community, but many agree that it captures sapphires that hold a colour between pink and orange.  Unusual and just beyond beautiful!

78. 18 KARAT GOLD, FANCY VIVID YELLOW DIAMOND AND DIAMOND RING, BULGARI
Estimate $30,000 – $40,000 Of stylized floral design, centering a round Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond weighing 2.04 carats, accented by round diamonds weighing approximately 4.50 carats, gross weight approximately 12 dwts, size 6¼, with expandable shank, signed Bulgari, inscribed CM 2.04.

Oh I just love the spring-colour combination in the ring above!  Yellow diamonds are glorious in their own right and fetch very high prices – often higher than colourless diamonds – and paired up with white diamonds and yellow gold in the Bulgari design above encapsulates a sunny spring day for me!

81. WHITE GOLD, STAR SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND RING
Estimate $15,000 – $20,000 Centering a cabochon star sapphire measuring approximately 18.1 by 14.7 by 12.6 mm, framed by round and baguette diamonds weighing approximately 2.60 carats, size 6.

Given my obsession with star sapphires I just had to include the ring above.  It is like looking at a starry sky in a clear night – magnificent!  We already know that in 100 sapphires found, only three will be star sapphires – and only one of these three will have a beautiful star as well as a beautiful colour, in case you remember the blog post A Star Ruby Romance.

114. PLATINUM, DIAMOND AND EMERALD BRACELET
Estimate $15,000 – $20,000  Set with square, baguette, old European and single-cut diamonds weighing approximately 14.20 carats, accented by pear-shaped and calibré-cut emeralds, length 7¼ inches, one small diamond missing; circa 1930.

I was delighted to find this circa 1930s bracelet in such a distinct Art Deco design.  The emeralds have such a vivid green colour and there is nothing better than old cut diamonds – you know the kind that outshines and out-sparkles any modern cut diamonds when worn in a candle light-setting?

169. HIGHLY IMPORTANT PLATINUM AND DIAMOND PENDANT NECKLACE
Estimate $3,800,000 – $4,200,000  The pear-shaped diamond weighing 52.26 carats, suspended from a chain set with eight round diamonds weighing .87 carat, length adjusts from 16 to 17 inches.

I just had to include this diamond pendant with an exquisite pear-shaped diamond.  A girl can always dream, right?  So let’s keep an eye on the auction to see how much these stunning pieces end up going for – and if you click onto the event page you will be able to dive into the rest of the collection…

21 April 2015 – Magnificent Jewels at Sotheby’s 

Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair at Chelsea Old Town Hall

And before I go I also have to tell you about another exciting event, which takes place a little closer to home: The Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair at Old Chelsea Town Hall.  Very pleased to be presenting the flyer above, which you must print and bring along to the fair on 26 April at Chelsea Old Town Hall, for your half-price entry!

Afternoon tea at Blackbird Tea Rooms at the Frock Me! Vintage Fair

We are already familiar with this fabulous fair, but for any readers, it is London’s leading vintage fashion and textiles fair and they have the most amazing vintage and designer pieces on display!  Our favourite cafe, Blackbird Tea Rooms, will of course also be there, and thinking about it, I haven’t yet posted from my last visit:

It is 7:45am as I am writing this, and I am now having massive cravings for Afternoon Tea!!

And if you haven’t been yet I would so recommend that you go!  The best thing is when the most unexpected things just jump out at you and you find yourself coming home with a beautiful collection of vintage clothes and accessories!

Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair / Sunday 26 April / 11am- 5.30pm

I now wish you a wonderful day in the sunshine and I will see you again on Wednesday 6th May!

More Vintage Treasures from the Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair

Today I would like to take you through three exquisite stands of vintage fashion collections that I had the pleasure of visiting at the Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair:

Clifton Vintage Boutique at the Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair

We are starting out with Clifton Vintage Boutique “fine cloth is never out of fashion”.  

Beautiful colour palette at Clifton Vintage Boutique

I sometimes find myself inexplicably drawn to certain shops, and in this case I was able to pinpoint why quite quickly: the lovely lady who runs it says that she doesn’t really specialise in any certain eras, but rather buys things that she loves, and I believe that you are bound to get a beautiful collection if you do things that way!  Here the colour scale of white, cream, silver and gold (my very favourites) looked so enticing and alluring, and I just had to have a closer look:

Fabulous gold coloured pieces from Clifton Vintage Boutique 

Extraordinary antique ring from Clifton Vintage Boutique

This ring was just stunning!  I can’t for my life remember when it is from but the design is just spectacular, and I bet that you haven’t seen anything just like before.  Again, one of the most wonderful things about antique jewellery is that the pieces are unique as they are handmade and you won’t run into someone else wearing an exactly replica of your pieces!

The collection of Compact Queen, Deborah Bouain at the Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair 

I then met Deborah Bouain, Compact Queen, who has a beautiful collection of vintage accessories – jewellery, handbags, shoes etc – and also provides pieces for our very favourite Downton Abbey.  I wish I had had more time to spend looking through her collection, as there were some stunning pieces, like these two Dior handbags:

How much do we love!?  You can find such amazing bargains at vintage fairs…

Vintage handbags getting some TLC 

Some more beautiful accessories from Compact Queen, Deborah Bouain

And finally we have the lovely vintage jewellery collection from Louise Ferdinando at Ferdinando Jewels:

A lovely set of earrings and a necklace by Joseff

A close up of these beautiful earrings 

This necklace and the matching earrings are just divine, which is not surprising as they are by Joseff of Hollywood – the most renowned designer of on-screen jewellery during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

He supplied 90% of the jewellery in Hollywood movies during the 1930s and 40s, and his designs were worn by Marlene Dietrich (a Diamond and Sapphire Brooch in “Shanghai Express” – 1932), Vivien Leigh (an Amethyst, Diamond and Silver Necklace in “Gone With the Wind” – 1939) and Marilyn Monroe (a Gold and Pearl Earring and Necklace combination in “Some Like It Hot” – 1959), only to name a few. (1)

I am obviously hunting for lovely brooches this February, and Louise Ferdinando had a wonderful selection!

Aurora Borealis earrings from Ferdinando Jewels

Sometimes it can be hard to date a piece of jewellery, so I thought that we could use the earrings above to learn something new, so that we can figure out how old certain pieces are.

You can see that the top part of these gold coloured earrings feature a lovely reflection of a rainbow of colours: pink, blue, purple… In the early 1950s Swarovski were experimenting with coating their crystals with thin layers of metal to create brilliance and reflection, and in 1955 Manfred Swarovski had perfected it and created the beautiful Aurora Borealis stone.  He would work closely with Christian Dior and eventually they presented this rainbow stone to the world, which was named after the Northern Lights, that are also known as Aurora Borealis.

So if you find a piece of jewellery that features this lovely reflective look, then you will know that it dates back to 1955 at its earliest.  (2)

As always, if you see anything that you just love, do send me an email and I will put you in touch with these lovely vintage fashion experts!  info@decadesofelegance.com

Sources

(1) Joseff Jewellery

(2) eBay – Aurora Borealis

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.

An evening in 1930s Paris

QuecumBar 

Happy Monday my lovely one, I hope you had a fabulous weekend!  I sure did, as I went to an amazing 1930s Parisien style live music brasserie, that specialises in Gypsy swing – a style of music that stems from the 1930s Paris, and draws on nearly 2000 years of Gypsy culture.

My take on 1930s style hair, makeup and outfit

I obviously took the opportunity to go all out, since I so rarely get the chance to dress up all 30s style – so I ended up looking a little something like this (which I think was more 40s style, but still, it was such fun!).  I did a bit of research online before I put on some red lipstick – for once in my lifetime managed to make the perfect eyeliner flicks!! and couple it all with a pearl necklace, pearl earrings, a polkadot dress – and a hairstyle that I twisted and messed around with until I decided to leave it as it was.

QuecumBar – Peter Sheppard on guitar accompanied by an amazing gent on the accordion

The venue that we went to is called QuecumBar and it is widely regarded as the world premier venue of the music genre Gypsy swing.  They are dedicated to promoting the music of Django Reinhardt, the founder of Gypsy swing and they stage some of the world’s finest Gypsy swing musicians.  We had the pleasure of enjoying the performance of Pete ‘Tiger’ Sheppard on guitar and his amazing colleague (whose name I am unable to recall or find!!) on accordion.  Experiencing the music live in this atmosphere, in such a beautifully decorated restaurant immediately drew us all into 1930s Paris – just amazing.

Do take a look on their own website to get an idea of what Gypsy swing is all about, and they have some more amazing performances coming up this year, so make sure that you reserve a table, have dinner with your loved ones (I don’t have words to describe how delicious it all was – such a treat to have a fantastic French restaurant here in London!) and enjoy this amazing experience.  I can also warmly recommend that you get dressed up in the air of the 30s – even just a bit of red lipstick will get you in the right mindset – and get ready to be taken back in time!

I would also love to hear how you would dress up if you were given the dresscode 1930s style?

‘Anna Nicole’ at the Royal Opera House

Some extracts from the opera ‘Anna Nicole’  Copyright: the Royal Opera House

Last week I went to see the opera Anna Nicole at the Royal Opera House here in London, which was such a wonderful experience that I just couldn’t wait to share with you!

The opera is shocking and brutally honest to the tragic tale that was Anna Nicole’s life, yet it is written and performed in the most extraordinary way.  The language was so offensive but presented in a way that made the audience burst out laughing time and time again and the performance of the singers and actors was just amazing.  Anna Nicole is played by the Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek and I was just blown away by her voice; as a dramatic soprano she has such a strong voice that reaches above the orchestra, and her acting is just wonderful, as you can tell how much she enjoys playing the part!  She really just gives such an all-encompassing performance, so if you haven’t yet seen the opera I would warmly recommend that you book your tickets now!  Oh yes, here is where you can book yours:  The Royal Opera House – Anna Nicole.

The Paul Hamlyn Hall Balconies Restaurant at the Royal Opera House

It really was the most magical evening, as we also had supper at the restaurant at the opera house and I easily had some of the best food of my life.  I took a cheeky little picture of the spectacular Paul Hamlyn Hall Balconies Restaurant, which used to be a part of the Covent Garden Flower Market.  It was also such a treat to step back into the restaurant in the interval and have some dessert and probably the world’s tastiest mint tea!

As for my outfit I obviously had to think long and hard at what would be suitable for such a special evening, and this is what I ended up going for:

One of my favourite maxi dresses in pink with some lovely grey lace down the sides and you can catch a glimpse of one of the Decades of Elegance vintage rings:

… obviously I had to wear a Decades of Elegance ring, and went for the beautiful pearl and marcasite ring ca 1930

Just about to have supper in the stunning Paul Hamlyn Hall Balconies Restaurant

… and I learnt my lesson never to take a ring off when I am out, as I left it on the side of the basin in the powder room on top of my scarf just for a minute, then forgot all about it and swept my scarf back into my back and left; only to realise this in the restaurant, where I was luckily able to retrieve it from my handbag after a few second’s panic searching.  It had gotten tangled up in the scarf, phew!!  Lesson learnt: keep your rings on at all times!

The tragic tale of Anna Nicole is told in this opera, commissioned by the Royal Opera, with music by Mark-Anthony Turnage, Libretto by Richard Thomas, with Sir Antonio Pappano as the Music Director and Kasper Holten as the Director of Opera

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!

Messy Side Ponytail with a Vintage Pearl Brooch

Over the weekend two lovely ladies, that you already know from the blog, came to London on a surprise visit!  We had a fabulous time with afternoon tea (review coming up – this place is just amazing!), shopping, dinner and cocktails – which obviously called for some dressing up:

Messy side ponytail with a vintage brooch

So for the afternoon tea we had to make ourselves look terribly pretty, so I put my sister’s hair up in a messy side ponytail and we the adorned it all with a vintage pearl brooch with marcasites:

Hide the pins and hairband by wrapping strands on hair around and across them

It is a really easy hairstyle to do as well: curl you hair from the ears down to create some texture, then twist the front part of your hair back above your ears, and fasten with some hair pins.  Gather the whole ponytail on one side and fasten with an elastic, which you then hide with the help of curls and hair pins.  Lastly you add the brooch by securing it behind one of the hair pins.  You can also glimpse a pair of vintage-style marcasite earrings with a faux pearl, as they went perfectly with the brooch.

A romantic detail is always a lovely addition to any hairstyle – in this case we chose a vintage brooch with pearls and marcasites

And here is the full look!  A white lace dress with that fabulous Peter Pan-collar – a second hand bargain from Mary’s Living and Giving Shop in Parsons Green; a pair of black tights and the most stunning black heels – such a lovely mid-winter look on a beautifully sunny day:

Peter Pan-collar dress in white lace with black heels

The delightful history of Afternoon Tea

This weekend I went for a fabulous afternoon tea at the Bentley Hotel in Knightsbridge.  I will create a guide to London Afternoon Teas here on the blog soon, so that you will always be able to choose your perfect place!  My review of the tea at the Bentley Hotel will come later on this week, but here is a sneak peek of the hotel and of the history of this wonderful tradition:

The Bentley Hotel

Afternoon tea has been a dear tradition for almost two centuries and was “invented” by Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford.  Legend has it that she was visiting the 5th Duke of Rutland at Belvoir Castle in the 1840’s – a point in time when people would eat their breakfast in the morning and quite a late dinner, with only a light bite for lunch.  Now this would have set anyone’s blood sugars plummeting, which is exactly what must have happened to Anna as she complained about “a sinking feeling” in the afternoons.  She came up with the clever idea of asking for tea and cakes or sandwiches to be sent up to her room daily. and she found these afternoon snack sessions so delightful that she soon started inviting her friends to join her.  It didn’t take long for afternoon tea to become an established tradition in many middle and upper class households!

Lady N modelling a 1930′s Art Deco Pearl and Marcasite Ring

I just adored the seating area at the hotel, where we had our afternoon tea – how can you feel like anything other than a princess in a setting like this?

I love getting dressed up for afternoon tea – of course you don’t have to worry about what to wear, but I think it makes it one notch more special to wear a nice dress and of course some antique or vintage jewellery!  My dear friend Lady N is here modelling our favourite 1930’s pearl ring.

1930′s Art Deco Pearl and Marcasite Ring at the Bentley Hotel