The other day I was working away in the antique shop, when two ladies from the auction house Bukowskis came by. Now, I can spot a Swedish accent from miles away and we were soon chatting away about the antique worlds in Sweden and London, which was such an unexpected treat! The reason for their visit however, was an upcoming Bukowskis’ auction i December where – among many other glorious treasures – an extraordinary pair of pearl earrings will go on sale. I of course took the chance to find out more about the sale and auction house:
A painting by our beloved Carl Larsson “I Montcourt” (in Montcourt). You might remember the blog post A Nordic Style dream in London – chapter 1 where we learnt about the wonderful painter Carl Larsson?
Who are Bukowskis?
Bukowskis is the biggest auction house in the Nordics with a focus on fine art, design, crafts, oriental antiques and last but not least jewellery, where we are the market leading auction house by a wide margin. Bukowskis was founded in 1870 and we have since conducted well guarded auctions with the involvement of royalty, as well as scandalous artists. In 2014 Andy Warhols’ last work The Last Supper was sold at Bukowskis for 50 million Swedish crowns (ca. £4.3 million).
So lovely to see the works of some famous Swedish painters – here Alfred Wahlberg, ‘Fog over Huskvarna Stream’ 1884
What do your jewellery auctions look like?
At Bukowskis you can buy jewellery in three different ways. On www.bukowskis.com you can place your online bids for diamonds and exciting jewellery around the clock. At Fashion & Diamonds that takes place twice a year (autumn and spring) we combine designer clothing and designer costume jewellery with cool accessories – and real diamonds. It is an unbelievably popular auction! (The catalogue publication starts on 19th September). Twice a year the most expensive jewellery is sold at Klassiska, in June and December. The stunning pearl earrings will for example be on sale in December.
Oh yes, do tell us more about these sensational pearl earrings!
These are earrings for a real princess! The design brings our thoughts to daughters of Renaissance rulers and you can almost hear the rustle of silk and elaborate lace collars. The earrings feature some beautiful diamonds as well as six drop formed natural saltwater pearls in girandole style. They are 6.5cm long and made out of 18 carat white gold.
Any other pieces of jewellery that have recently stood out at your auctions?
We are experiencing a strong revival for pearls. They must be real pearls and big in size! In June this year we sold a remarkable brooch; the pearl was almost two centimeters wide and shaped like a banana (see photo below). The setting was inventive and tasteful and it became the most expensive pearl that has ever been sold at an auction in Sweden: 3 million SEK (ca. £258,000)
Bukowskis Pearl brooch sold for 3 million kronor in June 2014
So do I need to add that we will be on pins and needles to see how much the earrings sell for at the December sale?! I do of course promise to keep you guys updated, and I would love to hear how you would style them, if you had the chance to wear them one whole evening! I think that I would go for hair up in a soft, loose bun and a floor length dress with a high neck, so that a necklace wouldn’t be required, to really highlight these beautiful earrings! Ahh, a girl can always dream, right?
Decades of Elegance 