Victorian Bee Jewellery

Wohoo it is busy times in the shop at the moment!  The Christmas flurry has definitely set in and it is such fun to meet all these lovely clients that come by looking for gifts for their loved ones.

Butterflies and dragonflies from Richard Ogden

Today I was showing a lady some bee brooches – she referred to herself as a “purist” as she was a collector and wouldn’t consider any bees that were not of tiptop design, with all the correct details – number of wings, placement of stripes etc.

Now as I sat there by my desk, looking at the designs, I realised how much I actually love little bee jewellery – something I never would have even dreamed of before!  However, now that I have been exposed to some really stunning designs by the clever Victorian craftsmen, I just can’t seem to get enough of them!  Below is one of my favourite brooches in the shop at the moment:

The cutest little emerald and diamond bee brooch from Richard Ogden

For the Victorians nature was the new inn thing; bugs like butterflies, dragonflies and bees were symbolic of the transforming effect of love and all around people just couldn’t get enough of romance and nature.  Romantic poets like Wordsworth centered their works around the beauty of their surroundings and in late Victorian pieces you can see how this echoes on, with extraordinary craftsmanship that makes these little bugs look ever so lifelike!

Ruby and diamond bee from Richard Ogden

So there we are, my love for bee jewellery all exposed to the world – oh and I am so pleased that brooches are making a comeback, because now we can wear these sweet little things on our lapels and they make up the best conversation pieces!  This is true – I finally meet people who are asking for brooches, and you guys might remember the push we did here on Decades of Elegance last year to revive brooches?  Well it worked wonders, so I hope you are digging out your favourite brooches for the Christmas celebrations!

Here are a few posts from last February – if you scroll past the first few you will start seeing all the stunning brooches that we looked at back then:  Decades of Elegance February 2015.

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..!

Burlington Arcade – then and now

                      Burlington Arcade with its beautiful new floors – we are huge fans!

Hello my dearest one, you might have wondered why there have been so few new blog posts lately and I can only blame it on the bane of my misery: IT.  But things should be up and running now so that we can get back to our beloved antique jewellery!

It has been a few really fun weeks in the antique shop; we have had some beautiful pieces come through the door and we are now in the middle of putting together the Christmas Catalogue! (I know right, in August!?)!  But it is all great fun and I am learning TONS, and obviously passing on the most interesting information to you fine folks!

      A few diamond set clasps for necklaces that I was showing a client – on top of an old                                                Burlington Arcade postcard

Yesterday three photographs of the Burlington Arcade at the beginning of the 19th century popped up on my desk.  We have looked at the history of the Arcade before, in the blog post the Burlington Arcade in London, but there are a few more fun pieces of information left to learn:

               Antique photographs featuring the Burlington Arcade – at Richard Ogden

In the top photo you can see one of the Beadles (the gentlemen guarding the Arcade) addressing a man with an umbrella, as you are not allowed to carry open umbrellas in the Arcade.  Legend has it that even after the bombings in the 1940s destroyed the roof of the Arcade the Beadles would enforce the no-umbrella law – that is how seriously they take their duties!

                       The new floors of the Burlington Arcade, as modelled by Fluffy

And you might not know this, but whistling is not allowed in the Arcade either, and there is quite a shocking reason to this: during the 1800s the first floors in the Arcade were used by “working ladies”, and every time that the police approached the Arcade someone would whistle to warn these ladies – and the men who were with them – so that they could make a quick escape!  So whenever someone walks down the Arcade whistling, they get a kind reminder from the Beadles that it is not allowed.  I do in fact hear quite a few people every week trying to whistle a little tune in the arcade, and it is a shame in a way that you are not allowed to, as the acoustics are so great now that we have the beautiful new floors there!

                             Then and Now – the entrance of the Burlington Arcade

And in the bottom postcard we have a view of the entrance to the Arcade before it was redesigned in the 30s.  I had a lot of fun putting together the two photos above, as they really highlight how much has changed in these past 100 years – just look at people’s outfits!  Not to mention all the vehicles blocking the way for my perfect photo!!

I would love to hear which one of the two designs you prefer – and also whether you have visited the Arcade and maybe have some special memories from there?  For example seeing a pair of glorious earrings, or maybe shopping for an engagement ring?

The Wallace Collection in London

Hello dearest, I hope that your summer has been just wonderful so far!  I thought that I would share with you today my trip to The Wallace Collection, as it was just such a wonderful experience!  I went there with a friend of mine and we took a whole afternoon to wander through the different rooms and we also had afternoon tea in their glorious courtyard restaurant.  The collection is the perfect sneak peek inte the life of London’s high society some hundred years ago, so come along, let’s check it out:

One of my favourite rooms at the Wallace Collection – I just love the combination of the wallpaper and the gold frames and gold furniture

You will find the Wallace Collection just behind Selfridges, and as you enter the building you leave all modern day things behind and become surrounded by furniture, armour, porcelain, objects d’art and paintings from the 15th to the 19th century.  There is a great emphasis on French 18th century furniture, with over five hundred pieces, so it almost feels like stepping into the private home of Marie Antoinette!

One of the beautiful rooms at the Wallace Collection

The Wallace Collection is the result of five generations collecting souvenirs from around the world for over a century, and it includes pieces like Rembrandt’s Good Samaritan; six paintings by Canaletto, who was considered one of the finest landscape painter of his time; and a gold dagger believed to have belonged to Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor famous for having erected the Taj Mahal.

The collection was built by the First, Second, Third and Fourth Marquesses of Hertford and when the Fourth Marquess’s illegitimate son Richard Wallace inherited the collection in 1870, he bought Hertford House.  When he then died in 1890, he left everything to his wife Julie-Amélie-Charlotte Castelnau, who in turn left the Wallace Collection to the nation.  It opened as a museum in 1900.  

A painting of Madame de Pompadour by François Boucher in 1759

The Souvenir by Jean-Honoré Fragonard at The Wallace Collection. Rousseau’s heroine, Julie carves the initial of her lover on the bark of a tree, while observed by her pet spaniel, the symbol of her fidelity.

There are spectacular paintings on display and so much to learn!  For example, I found out that a dog in a paintings is a symbol of fidelity, so when the high society ladies had their portraits painted – almost like a modern day contact ad – they would often incorporate a dog in the picture to show that they possessed this trait.  I personally would have loved to see more jewellery from the family, but I suppose that has gone somewhere else – there are however a few pieces on display well worth looking at: adorned with rubies, sapphires and other beautiful gemstones.

More of the paintings, again, with a glorious wallpaper as the backdrop

Oh how much I loved this room!  I know that one cannot decorate a regular home like this, but I might still try…!!!

Oriental and European Arms and Armour at the Wallace Collection

There is also something for the tough guys here, as you will find European and Oriental arms and armour collections with almost 2500 pieces on display.  The horse outfit above I can assure you is rather intimidating when viewed from close, as it is massive!

And when you visit, do make sure that you have lunch or afternoon tea in the stunning courtyard: it is covered by a tall glass roof, so you get all the sunlight, yet you can still eat outside even if it pours down with rain – not to mention what it would be like to sit there, under the stars, on a Friday or Saturday evening and enjoy their famous French cuisine.

The Wallace Collection

And please do share your experience with us here, as we would love to hear all about it!

The Victorian Carved Half Hoop Ring

An extraordinary original Victorian half hoop ring with sapphires and diamonds, this one is from Richard Ogden

Good morning dearest, I hope you had a lovely weekend in the sunshine!  Gosh this spring is really taking its time, and it has more than once made me think of a poem by the Swedish author Karin Boye:

Ja visst gör det ont när knoppar brister.
Varför skulle annars våren tveka?
Varför skulle all vår heta längtan
bindas i det frusna bitterbleka?
Höljet var ju knoppen hela vintern.
Vad är det för nytt, som tär och spränger?
Ja visst gör det ont när knoppar brister,
ont för det som växer
och det som stänger.

– Karin Boye

 Yes, of course it hurts when buds are breaking.
Why else would the springtime falter?
Why would all our ardent longing
bind itself in frozen, bitter pallor?
After all, the bud was covered all the winter.
What new thing is it that bursts and wears?
Yes, of course it hurts when buds are breaking,
hurts for that which grows
and that which bars.

 

And now it is time to move over to jewellery!  I have been showing my clients quite a few carved Victorian half hoop rings lately and thought that we should take a closer look today:

Victorian three stone half hoop ring in yellow gold at Richard Ogden

A side-view of the ring, with the carvings clearly visible   

A collection of three stone half hoop rings at Richard Ogden – you can see how the designs vary, in everything from the cut or shape of the diamonds, to the width and design of the mounts 

Victorian craftsmen started designing carved half hoop rings in the 1880s and they would either be worn as engagement rings or presented as gifts at the birth of a baby.  The rings came with three, five or seven stones, and featured either all diamonds, or all rubies/sapphires/emeralds, or alternating diamonds and these coloured precious stones.  Women would build up a nice collection of the rings, often with one in each colour: red, blue, green and white.

A beautiful sapphire and diamond ring, with little rose diamond points in between the larger gemstones

And a side view of the Victorian sapphire and diamond half hoop ring 

Mr Alastair Norman from Harvey & Gore mentioned that today Victorian half hoop rings would make excellent engagement rings, as they sit perfectly next to a wedding ring.  He also emphasised what wonderful quality coloured stones you can find in the early Victorian half hoop rings, the exquisite blue sapphire above here being the perfect example.

The rings would also feature little rose diamond points (in other words tiny diamonds in a rose cut) in between the bigger stones – you can see them in the photo above: tiny little fractions of a diamond at the foot of the sapphire and the diamond.

A Victorian-style half hoop ring with seven diamonds

The ring above belongs to one of my colleagues, Mrs C, who was kind enough to share it and its history with us today.  It is a seven diamond Victorian-style carved half hoop ring (that is a mouthful!) that was given to her grandmother as an engagement ring circa 1918.  It is quite rare to see a seven stone ring, and when her grandmother received it she was told by her fiancée that it represented Seven Days of Joy – how wonderful indeed!

Mrs C’s grandfather was a Master Baker on one of the merchant ships during the First World War.  After the war he became a baker and quite a successful one, because at one point he was running three bakeries!  Mrs C told me that the family lived in the bakery, and at one point the engagement ring went missing “as one of the members of staff had pinched it!”  They managed to get it back though, and it was eventually passed down through generations, always to the youngest daughter in the family, which is why it now belongs to her.

And just for our curiosity: the single diamond ring that Mrs C is wearing in the photo above was her mother’s engagement ring, who got married in 1960.  According to her mother and father the ring was brand new at that point, but we are both convinced that it is an older ring, because it features a beautiful old cut diamond in a 1920/30s setting.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this Victorian design; could you imagine wearing one of these as an engagement ring?  What attracts you to it, and what doesn’t?

Antique Jewellery Heaven at Richard Ogden and Moira Jewels

With Christmas season upon us I have been having far too much fun playing around with the jewellery in the shop, so I thought I would give you a little sneak peek into what I got up to last week:

21ct diamond necklace from Tiffany & Co at Moira Jewels

Eeeeeh just a little something I threw on!  This is the most stunning diamond necklace from Tiffany’s, which belongs to Moira Jewels at Richard Ogden.  Fit for any old Christmas party I say!  Next time you walk through the Burlington Arcade, do make sure to peek into our windows at Richard Ogden – the centre one is extra prominent at the moment with a glorious selection of Moira’s jewellery!

Close up on the Tiffany diamond necklace…

… and then I may have found my way to our pink window…

Pink sapphire and diamond rings from Richard Ogden

Oopsy!  I couldn’t help myself.  On the far left you can see a five stone Garnet gold ring.  Five graduated oval almandine garnets are set with rose cut diamond points and it is all mounted in a Victorian style carved claw setting in yellow gold.

Next to it you can see a HUGE purple Tourmaline and diamond cluster ring, where the tourmaline is cabochon cut and surrounded by a single row of brilliant cut diamonds.  

One my ring finger I am wearing a Tourmaline (7.03 carats!) and diamond cluster ring.  Such a sweet design which I know will woo a few of you.  I just love cluster rings by the way, and I believe that Diana – and now Kate Middleton’s sapphire and diamond cluster ring has eternalised the design.  I get so many people coming in to look at cluster rings, and mainly the sapphire and diamond ones – understandably!  

Continuing on to the far right, you can see my very favourite ring in the whole shop: the Star Ruby whose acquaintance we made in the blog post: A Star Ruby Romance.  It is just such an extraordinary design and I can’t wait to see who ends up buying it!

Sooo that was an enjoyable way of finishing off my Friday afternoon and I can’t wait to go back in again tomorrow to see what new (old) pieces I will have to try on!

Suffragette Jewellery

An extraordinary set of suffragette jewellery from Moira Jewels at Richard Ogden.  Purple is represented by amethysts, green by peridots and white by pearls.

This exceptional piece of jewellery, referred to as Suffragette Jewellery, came into the shop the other day and since suffragette jewellery has such an important and fascinating role in history, I thought that we would take a closer look:

Suffragette Jewellery from Moira Jewels

The term Suffrage means the right to vote through the democratic process and in the late 19th and early 20th century members of women’s organisation movements  were referred to as Suffragettes.  In 1897 the The National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) was formed.  The NUWSS weren’t very successful in their progress for the cause, something that a few members found very frustrating, and in 1903 campaigner Emmeline Pankhurst broke away from the party and founded The Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) together with her daughters.  

Suffragette Jewellery at Moira Jewels 

The motto of the WSPU was “Deeds not Words” and they took a rather militant approach to campaigning, when compared to other suffragist group at the time; committing acts of arson and vandalism and going on hunger strikes when imprisoned.  You may have heard of Emily Davison, who died after jumping out of the crowd in front of King George V’s racehorse in the Epsom Derby in June 1913.

In 1906 the British press started referring to the ladies as Suffragettes and there was widespread support for the cause from the public.  In 1908 the official colours of WSPU were declared: Purple stood for dignity, White for purity and Green for hope – and you can see these three colours in the pictures above and below.  The WSPU’s honorary treasurer Mrs Pethick Lawrence described the meaning of the colours as:

“Purple…is the royal colour…It stands for
the royal blood that flows in the veins of
every suffragette, the instinct of freedom
and dignity…white stands for purity in
private and public life…green is the colour
of hope and the emblem of spring.”

Suffragette Jewellery from Moira Jewels

Protesters in their hundreds would wear the colours and march behind similarly coloured banners – and Mappin & Webb, London jewellers to royalty, issued a catalogue of Suffragette Jewellery in time for Christmas 1908.  The same year 30,000 women took part in a demonstration in Hyde Park and they all wore accessories in these colours to  express their commitment to the cause.  Between a quarter and half a million people came to watch this extraordinary march.

A beautiful suffragette bracelet at Moira Jewels in Richard Ogden, the Burlington Arcade

In 1909, leading suffragettes Emmeline Pankhurst and Louise Eates were both presented with specially commissioned pieces in purple, white and green.  In 1917 the WSPU changed their name to The Women’s Party and finally, in 1918 British women over the age of 30, who met certain property qualifications, were given the right to vote.  In 1928 suffrage was extended to all women over the age of 21.

The Esher Hall Antiques & Fine Art Fair, October 2014

How beautiful is this autumn afternoon sky above the Esher Hall?  

Esher Hall Antiques & Fine Art Fair, October 2014

You might remember that I told you about the antiques fair in Esher Hall the other week, in the blog post: Esher Hall Antiques & Fine Art Fair, 10-12 October 2014?  Well, I went with some friends and it ended up being one of the loveliest antiques fairs that I have visited to date!  The atmosphere was so welcoming and everyone was delighted to tell us about their pieces – and believe me, there were a LOT of nice things on display!  This was the first fair in Surrey that Richard Ogden attended and our stand looked a little something like this:

Richard Ogden at Esher Hall Antiques & Fine Art Fair

Some of the exquisite pieces from the Richard Ogden collection at the antiques fair  

Richard Ogden at Esher Hall Antiques & Fine Art Fair

The most unusual artwork of Tanzanite creates this unique bracelet – from Moira Fine Jewels at Richard Ogden 

T Robert Antique Jewellery from Norfolk 

We then continued on to a stand where a beautiful moonstone necklace from circa 1910 caught our attention – we had reached T Robert from Norfolk.  This elegant collection can mainly be viewed at antiques fairs, as they travel across the UK to show us their range of exquisite  pieces.

T Robert Antique Jewellery Norfolk Moonstone Necklace ca 1910

Above is the piece that my friend fell in love with: a 15ct gold Ceylon sapphire and moonstone necklace, which displayed a range of different colours, depending on what light we viewed it in.

I am sure you can guess which one of these beauties caught my attention…! (hint: the Decades of Elegance logo)

There were so many wonderful stands to visit, with everything from 18th century furniture, to unique pieces of glassware, to the most divine Art Deco furniture.  If you haven’t yet had the chance to visit an antique fair, there are still some very exciting ones coming up before Christmas and I would so warmly recommend that you pop by one them!  It really is the most enjoyable way of spending a few hours, and you always learn so much, which is definitely my favourite part!

Esher Hall Antiques & Fine Art Fair

Esher Hall Antiques & Fine Art Fair, 10-12 October 2014

Happy Friday dearest!  I know that some of you guys live out in Surrey and so I wanted to let you know about a lovely antiques fair which is on next weekend, 10-12 October at Esher Hall.  The reason why I am extra excited about the fair is that Richard Ogden, where I am currently working, will be exhibiting there for the first time – and they will be bringing some glorious pieces along:

Esher Hall Antiques & Fine Art Fair, 10-12 October

The fair was launched in 2008, and features around 30 specialist exhibitors who will bring us the finest town and country furniture, jewellery, silver, paintings, oriental carpets, glass, mirrors, and lots of other decorative works of art!

Vintage aquamarine and diamond brooch Harvey & Gore

I was delighted to see that one of my favourite pieces from the Harvey & Gore collection that we showcase here at Richard Ogden is featuring on the front page of the exhibition brochure!  It is an exquisite 75 carat (!) aquamarine and diamond clip brooch, where the aquamarine displays an exceptional colour.  The brilliant cut diamonds and graduating tapered baguette diamonds are also doing their best to woo us with their incredible sparkle and fire and the back of the brooch reveals an intricate platinum mounted honeycomb structure, which acts like a grid to hold the diamonds.  The origin is almost certainly 1950s America.  We swoon!

So I do hope to see you at the fair, I for one can’t wait to see what else it holds!  And the admission is £5 or you can print your own free ticket from their website here: The Esher Hall Antiques Fair.  I do hope to see you there!

Esher Hall Antiques & Fine Art Fair

Esher Hall, Sandown Park Racecourse
Esher
Surrey, KT10 9AJ

Antique Pearl Necklace Clasps vs Centre Motifs

 

Rows of antique pearl necklaces at Richard Ogden, in the Burlington Arcade

So I was working in the antique shop the other day – namely counting diamonds on a brooch – and having lost count a million or so times, I decided to take a little break and started aimlessly wandering around the shop instead.  I ended up – like so many times – by the pearl necklaces…  ahh sigh of happiness, they are just so beautiful!  The middle one in the photo above we have already familiarised ourselves with in the previous post Victorian Pearl Necklace with a Diamond Clasp, but I loved them all and started looking closer at them:

Pearl necklace with a diamond brooch clasp

This little beauty above is another example of a pearl necklace with a diamond brooch as the clasp; in other words it also has a very clever mechanism at the back which turns it into a brooch that you can wear separately.

The centre motif features a beautiful sapphire surrounded by eight diamonds

… and then there was this necklace with two rows of pearls and a centre motif featuring a sapphire.

This necklace is from around the 1920’s and I am obviously learning all these ways of determining the age of the pieces, and something that is very helpful is determining what metal has been used in the design – this one is set in platinum.  Platinum gained popularity in jewellery making in the beginning of the 20th century as it was such a beautiful and strong metal.  The use of platinum in anything other than military applications was however prohibited during the second World War, as it was declared a strategic material.  After the war it gained popularity again because of its properties: its strength allowed jewellery makers to create very fine yet durable designs.

A closer look at this beautiful antique pearls necklace with a centre motif featuring a sapphire and eight diamonds

The difference between this necklace and the first one in the post, is that the part with the sapphire and diamonds in this necklace is not used as a clasp – it is purely there for decorative reasons.  As a result it is referred to as the centre motif, and it looks a little something like this when worn:

Oh go on then, I will model the necklace to show you what it looks like on!  (yep, without doubt the best part about working in an antique jewellery shop!!)  

So there we have it – the difference between a clasp and a centre motif in antique jewellery (and of course also in modern jewellery, but I haven’t seen too many of these designs around in contemporary pieces – but if you have then please feel free to share with us below!)  Have a lovely weekend my dear!

All of the necklaces above can be found at Richard Ogden in the Burlington Arcade.