Today I would like to introduce you to my favourite antique jewellery shop in Cape Town – Jewel Tree. Whenever I visit this shop, I end up spending at least an hour in there, listening to the fascinating stories that the dealers have to tell, and admiring their most extraordinary treasures. They have everything from Victorian bracelets to dazzling Tanzanite earrings to Art Deco diamond rings… the list goes on!
Come along dear, let’s take a closer look:
Such an exquisite design – and gold always looks so regal with red stones… garnets and rubies in particular!
Victorian gold bangle with diamonds and rubies
The condition of these old pieces is just extraordinary: they are over a hundred years old, yet they still shine and sparkle as if they were made yesterday. I love losing myself in this sea of gold, rubies, garnets, pearls, diamonds and imagining what these pieces have been through during all these years. It is so interesting to learn about all these extraordinary details – like little lockets that open up and reveal a secret compartment, old photos of someone’s loved ones and clever little hinges and designs that makes so much sense once someone explains their purpose!
Oh my favourite combination of gold and pearls make up this stunning bracelet
My favourite antique piece was a gold locket from London that opened up and contained a very small piece of cloth, which used to be scented about a hundred years ago. The wearer would open the locket and sniff the little cloth whenever the smells from the streets of London would be too gruesome! How clever indeed – it shows how inventive people are how designs change through times to suit our lifestyles.
Stunning antique Tanzanite rings
Above we have two absolutely glorious tanzanite rings with diamonds – love the design and the incredible sparkle! We will look closer at Tanzanite in another post, as it is such a beautiful gemstone but apparently it is running out! I do however keep running into the most extraordinary Tanzanite jewellery in South Africa, and it is such a treat to be able to show them to you.
Adore this collection of earrings… contemporary in antique style, and really affordable – maybe a Christmas present for your lady? *hint* *hint*
They also have a range of contemporary jewellery that are made in antique style – Edwardian, Victorian, Art Deco etc. The designs are so beautiful as you can see above and below, and since they do not contain for example diamonds, they stay within a very reasonable price bracket; yet they look like they should cost at least ten times their price!
Well guess who these drop down earrings went home with? I just couldn’t resist the stunning design: the blue topaz center stones are so beautifully highlighted by the sparkling cubic zirconias
Aside from the jewellery they also do other decorative pieces: a set of six matcing Russian silver-gilt enameled teaspoons, marked 84 c.1895.
They also have a stunning collection of antique china…
Not to mention their wonderful collection of silver!
... and this young lady keeps the shop in order!
I can’t wait to visit them again in February, and if you want to see more of their stunning designs you can check out their Facebook page by clicking here.
Did you have any favourites in the collection above? We would love to hear your thoughts!
Decades of Elegance 