Glorious Gems from Burma

Oh I have been so envious of my colleague who is a gemstone specialist and has just returned from her trip to Burma!  She brought back these stunning star sapphires, spinels and garnets and we have been ooh’ing and aah’ing over them here in the shop for weeks now.  Burma is well known for its fine quality rubies and sapphires but it is less well known for being a source of spinel in a wide range of colours: red, pink, grey, blue and black.

Now, just on a note that in case you lose your heart to one of these gemstones, please know that they are all for sale, price on application as my colleague told me:

Grey Cushion Cut Spinel from Burma

On of my favourite colours in the whole wide world is taupe – you know that luscious blend of pink and grey that is set off so beautifully against white?  Well, seeing this grey coloured spinel definitely made me think of the colour taupe, but my colleague didn’t agree with me, so you can draw your own conclusions of the colour.  I think it was just divine, either way!  It also happens to be my favourite cut: cushion, so getting to see it at close up was just such a treat!

Pink Spinel from Burma

Pink Spinel from Burma

Then there was this lovely, bright pink spinel, again in a beautiful cushion cut.  The second photo is more true to the colour of the stone in real life, I am not sure how I managed to get it so intense in the top photos – sorry about that!

Spinels are very interesting gemstones and have been mistaken for rubies for centuries; it wasn’t until 1783 that spinels were officially differentiated from rubies.  In fact, the Queen has a spinel in her Imperial Crown, which for many years was thought to be a ruby and still bears the name Black Prince’s Ruby.  However, when it was tested it transpired that it was in fact a red spinel!   It weighs 170 carats and is set just above the Cullinan II diamond at the front of the crown.  Spinels have a hardness of 8, which makes them more durable than emeralds and consequently very wearable gemstones.

Star Sapphire from Burma

And then there was this star sapphire; another one of my favourite gemstones.  You might remember from the blog post A Star Ruby Romance that out of every 100 mined corundom (rubies and sapphires) only three will show this star pattern – and only one out of these three will have a good star and good colour!

Grey Star Sapphire at Richard Ogden

Last but not least, there was this parti coloured star sapphire (top gem in the photo above), which means that part of it is one colour and part of it another, which you can see quite clearly in the photo above.

Which one is your favourite?

Petworth Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair

You guys!  I worked at the most wonderful antiques fair over the weekend, Petworth Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair, and I wish I had had time to tell you about it last week, so that you could have visited!  The good thing is that the fair was such a success that it will most likely run again next year, and I will of course keep you updated on that!  Now, let me show you what the days were like – and why you will love to visit next year:

Petworth House 

Petworth House

The entrance to the grounds of Petworth House

Petworth House 

The fair took place on the beautiful grounds of Petworth House – and if you haven’t yet been,  I can tell you that it is the most extraordinary 17th century mansion – think Downton Abbey!  They have a magnificent art collection with works by Turner, Van Dyck, Reynolds and Blake, ancient and Neo-classical sculpture, fine furniture and carvings by Grinling Gibbons.  The rooms are just breathtaking, and you wander through the Beauty Room – with paintings of all the fair ladies of the house hanging far above you and above the gilded mirrors that also adorn the room; the staircase room with the most beautiful curved staircase, a grand piano and sofas seated under the stairs, where you expect to see the Victorians kicking back and enjoying the music; not to mention the Carved Room with its extraordinary details on the walls – you just have to see it for yourself!

Entrance to the Servants’ Quarters at Petworth House

You can also visit the servants’ quarters, where you get the feeling of having stepped 200 years back in time!  The kitchen looks like it is about to be filled with cooks and maids, who any second will continue to stir the soup and cut the onions.

Petworth Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair

At the fair there were around 40 exhibitors, predominantly members of the British Antique Dealers’ Association and LAPADA The Association of Art & Antiques Dealers, showcasing furniture, jewellery, sculpture, glass, objets d’art and silver to oriental carpets, paintings, drawings and many other decorative and unique works.  This was our stand:

Richard Ogden at Petworth Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair

… and boy had we brought along some extraordinary pieces!

Here is just a small selection of what we brought along from Richard Ogden and Moira Fine Jewels…

I am hopelessly in love with this Padparadscha Sapphire bracelet from Moira!  How stunning it would look with a white summer’s dress, or a black dress for that matter!  You can view it at Richard Ogden in the Burlington Arcade 

Padparadscha sapphires are the orange/pink ones that you can see above.  They are just so rare and absolutely beautiful, that I couldn’t take my eyes off it during the fair!

We also brought along this beautiful aquamarine and diamond necklace, the aquamarine and diamond ring and a stunning amethyst and diamond ring – with a Siberian amethyst, which is distinguished by a tint of red in the purple.  And little Piggy Cufflinks on the fair right 

I was wearing this beautiful Bird of Paradise in yellow gold, set with rubies and sapphires from Richard Ogden

So next year I recommend that you come by the fair, then continue on to Petworth House for a wander through this extraordinary mansion.  You can then finish off your trip with lunch in Petworth village, just a few minute walk Petworth House entrance, as it is the most quaint little historic market town, with picturesque streets and of course a wide range of shops and antique centres.

Spriggs Florist in Petworth – just one of the lovely little shops in the village

Afternoon Tea at the Fig Tree Coffee Lounge and Tea Room

 

Afternoon Tea at the Fig Tree Coffee Lounge and Tea Room at Christique Antique Centre

After a few hours of shopping in Dorking we ended up at the café at Christique Antique Centre, called the Fig Tree Coffee Lounge and Tea Room.  To get to the café you will go through the most alluring vintage and antique jewellery section, where glass cabinets so proudly show off their treasures, and basically it is just impossible to get to the café without buying a few pieces that one really needs!

The sun shone so beautifully on us while we were enjoying our cream tea

Afternoon Tea at the Fig Tree Coffee Lounge and Tea Room

The café is such a welcoming place, with these big windows instead of a dark ceiling, that let in all the lovely winter sun and show some nice greenery – of course including a fig tree!  We arrived at lunch time and at least I was didn’t know how I would ever be able to choose what to have, after seeing all the lovely dishes that the other guests were enjoying!

We finally decided to go for the cream tea, and it was generously portioned with two big homemade scones per person (there were three of us, and we managed 1. 1/3 each!), some glorious butter that I don’t know how they made as it was so light and tasty! – and of course lots of strawberry jam and clotted cream.  We all chose the Darjeeling tea, which was a nice change from my usual English Breakfast, and a new favourite.  It was such an enjoyable afternoon tea, as you could tell that everything had been made with thought and care, and the surroundings were so peaceful even though all the little tables in the café were taken – it clearly is a very popular spot in Dorking!

A delicious cream – I can second that!

Oh how I adore these kitschy little vintage teacup collections! 

My vintage teacup heaven at Christique Antique Centre

I just adore this little teacup – can you see what a funny little foot it has?  I wonder what fabulous tea parties it has seen in its days?!

The fabulous thing here is that after your lunch or tea you can continue to wander through the shop Christique and admire the jewellery, furniture, paintings, glassware… you name it!  In one section we ran into all these charming little tea cups, and it just reinforced my wish to collect lots of different teacups and saucers, so that I can have my own little Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in the future!

Christique Antique Centre

11 West Street, Dorking

RH4 1BL

 

I am very pleased to give the Fig Tree Coffee Lounge and Tea Room 5/5 Decades of Elegance Rings:

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

The Trifari Birthstone Range at Arabella Bianco in Grays Antique Centre

 

Grays Antique Centre

I popped by Grays Antiques the other day to look at Arabella Bianco’s collection, which was a treat as always!  I am definitely getting my Christmas presents from these lovely vintage jewellery dealers instead of fighting my way through the crowds on Oxford Street!  I have already seen a bunch of beautiful and unique pieces, and if you are thinking along the same lines then definitely try Grays Antiques Market!

Beaver County Times 22 March 1973 – The Birthstone Bracelet by Trifari

At Arabella Bianco’s I was drawn to the bracelets and necklaces in the photo above and Lesley, the owner, told me that they come from a Trifary collection from the 60s/70s.  They are simulated birthstones for each month and I was delighted to stumble across the above article from the Beaver County times, 22 March 1973.

Birthstone bracelet by Trifari at Arabella Bianco at Grays Antiques

Above we have January’s Garnet and February’s Amethysts, and below April’s Diamonds.  In newspaper adverts from the 70s we could read that the designs were the perfect way of  “celebrating the month that she was born” and that “one way to her heart was Trifari” – I love it!  It is also great that they come in white and yellow gold tones (not real gold though as it is costume jewellery after all) as it gives us more choice when it comes to styling them with our outfits.

April’s Diamond Birthstone from Trifari at Arabella Bianco

We have learnt about Trifari in an earlier blog post: A Trifari Vintage Treasure, so do revisit that post if you can’t quite remember the fascinating story about this design house.

April’s Diamond Birthstone from Trifari – at Arabella Bianco in Grays Antique Centre

So do make sure that you put Grays Antiques on your list of places to visit for your Christmas shopping, as I can promise you that you will find some unique and beautiful pieces of jewellery, to surprise and delight your family and friends with this Christmas!

Grays Antique Centre

58 Davies Street
& 1-7 Davies Mews
London, W1K 5AB

The Hearing Dogs Charity at Chelsea Antiques Fair

So on Friday I visited the Chelsea Antiques Fair at Old Chelsea Town Hall, as you might remember from Friday’s post: Heading off to the Chelsea Antiques Fair!

The Chelsea Antiques Fair at the beautiful Old Chelsea Town Hall

I just love visiting Old Chelsea Town Hall, as it is such a beautiful venue.  It also creates the perfect backdrop to an antiques fair – let’s take a closer look at the decor:

Such beautiful chandeliers and I love the soft turquoise walls with the golden details…

Chelsea Old Town Hall

I absolutely love dogs, so first of all I have to take you to the Hearing Dogs stand: the charity supported by the fair.

Hearing Dogs Charity, supported by The Chelsea Antiques Fair

As I was wandering around the fair I noticed that some of the objects were marked with a little red dot, and I found out that these were the selected objects where a percentage of the sales would go directly to the charity.  Here is one of my favourites:

“Puppy Toothache” at the Hearing Dogs charity, Chelsea Antiques Fair 

Puppy Toothache – gilt bronze study from early 20th century 

And these handsome guys kept an eye on the fair for us:

At the Hearing Dogs Charity at The Chelsea Antiques Fair

We will visit a number of other stands later on this week but I also wanted to give you guys a quick heads up that there is a fabulous antique auction at Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers in Surrey on Wednesday 26th March at 11:30 (you might recognise Catherine Southon from various BBC Antiques programmes!)  It seems that the bidding will start at very reasonable levels for quite a few objects, so it could be a really interesting one to visit – especially if it is one of your first auctions experiences!

Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers, next sale at The Chateau in Shirley Hills, Surrey on Wed 26th March 2014 at 11:30am

The sale can be viewed on 25th & 26th March at The Chateau, Coombe Lane, Shirley, Surrey CR0 5RE.  For more details, you can visit her website: www.catherinesouthon.co.uk.

Heading off to the Chelsea Antiques Fair!

Oh dear, it is just one of those days…!

It started out so well, as I was very excited to be heading out to the antiques fair that we chatted about in Monday’s post: The Chelsea Antiques Fair.  I had decided to wear one of my favourite vintage dresses, this blue sweetie from Shrewd:

Blue vintage shift dress from Vintage Shrewd, Dorking, Surrey

… and to match the lovely blue colour I picked out these antique gold and pearl earrings with sapphires that I picked up at an antique fair in Surrey a few months ago:

Antique gold and pearl earrings with sapphires…

My thing is not to wear a lot of vintage clothing, instead I like to mix antique jewellery with contemporary outfits, so today’s outfit was a very unusual one for me – and was really pleased with how the whole look came together:

… vintage dress and earrings – my perfect outfit when scouting for antiques!  Or so I thought…

However, fate had a different plan and so I managed to squirt some egg on the dress during breakfast (does anyone know how to get egg stains off your clothes by the way!?)  and instead I will be wearing my beloved snake necklace, a white t-shirt and black skinny jeans.  I whisked my hair up in a quick side-bun as it makes it is easier to take photos, and I intend to take a lot of those today at the fair!

And so here is the final outfit for the day!

Okay so I have my camera, handbag and phone ready, and can’t wait to upload some glorious jewellery photos for you on Instagram – so follow us here today for all the fabulous updates!  Time to head off to Chelsea Old Town Hall and see what sparkling treasures are up for sale today!

Wishing you a lovely Friday dear!

Alphen Antiques and Collectibles Market in Constantia – chapter I

I visited a lovely antique fair in Cape Town at the Alphen Centre in Constantia last month, which I wanted to bring you along to today:

Alphen Centre in Constantia

This is the first post out of two, and the second post is unique and incredibly charming, so make sure to keep an eye out for it!

I thought we should start with the collection from Then and Now –  a beautiful mix of vintage and modern pieces:

I loved this silver bracelet with all these lovely chunky stones!

Vintage bracelet in a beautiful design

A girl can never have too many cocktail rings – that is my philosophy in life…

… and this green beauty simply had to go come with me!

Green and silver cocktail ring

… and it is for sale so get in touch if you love it dear!

Groot Constantia Wine Farm

And when you visit the beautiful Constantia, make sure that you pay the famous wine farm Groot Constantia a visit.  It is the oldest wine farm in South Africa and the most beautiful place!