Antique Diamond Cluster Ring

It is December and we are finding ourselves in glittery and sparkling outfits, that during the rest of the year would be seen to be a little OTT but now is just right!  So I thought that it was time to revel in all this extravagance and this Georgian style diamond cluster ring is the perfect place to start:

Georgian Style Diamond Cluster Ring at Richard Ogden

So I didn’t used to be in to cluster rings, I suppose coming from Sweden/Finland where there is a great appreciation for clean and simple designs, cluster rings were never a consideration for me.  However, having seen so many beautiful Victorian and Georgian rings here in England, and seeing what a beautiful part in the history of jewellery design they are, I now absolutely adore them and always enjoy viewing them when one comes around the shop.  There is such a romantic look around a really beautifully set diamond cluster ring and the one that I have hijacked for this post is a perfect example: 

Georgian style diamond cluster ring in a cut down setting

This is a Georgian style diamond cluster ring set with a cushion cut centre diamond.  This beautiful cushion is surrounded by old brilliant cut diamonds and it is all set in a Georgian style cut down setting in 18ct white gold, with the shank of the ring mounted in 18ct yellow gold.
Let’s take a closer look at what this actually means: first of all the Cushion Cut is in my eyes the most romantic cut of diamond that there is and it makes a wonderful choice for an engagement ring.  It has a soft and subtle sparkle to it, which (and I know that I have mentioned this before) is best viewed in candle light where the brilliance comes to its own right when the flames are reflected in the facets of the diamond.

Victorian Style Diamond Cluster Ring at Richard Ogden

As for the Georgian cut down setting: this is a different style to what we are used to seeing in contemporary designs, as today quite often diamonds are held in place with gold or platinum claws, however here you can see how the white gold surrounds the diamonds in a very period typical design.  In order to bring out the whiteness in the diamonds the white gold is closest to the stones, whereas the yellow gold makes up the shank, which I think is the ideal design for a classic cluster ring.

The ring is beautifully finished off with fleur de lis design shoulders, which you can see quite nicely in the photo below:

Fleur de Lis design shoulders

This ring was made up by one of the most wonderful craftsmen that I have met here in London, who specialises in Georgian and Victorian designs, and it is just a joy to see all the amazing designs that he comes up with, often using old cut diamonds.  I hope you enjoyed this just as much as I did, I would love to hear your thoughts below!

 

A Divine Art Deco-Style Diamond Ring

Art Deco-Style Diamond Engagement Ring at Richard Ogden

Oh I have such a crush on this ring and just had to share it with you guys!  It is an Art Deco-style ring here at Richard Ogden, with a centre diamond that weighs approximately 1.50 carats and is surrounded by brilliant and trillion cut diamonds – the trillion cut diamonds are the triangular ones that you can see on either side of the centre diamond.

Art Deco-Style Diamond Engagement Ring at Richard Ogden

In the photo above you can see around the small top diamond a millegrain edge – one of my favourite features in antique jewellery!  Millegrain is when the craftsman creates small beads out of the gold, that then run along the edges of the jewellery.  I love how it gives a piece such lovely character by softening the lines and adding some subtle sparkle to the design.

Art Deco-Style Diamond Engagement Ring at Richard Ogden

So there we are, a bit of Monday sparkle to kick off this wonderful week ahead!

Summer Sparkle and a Summer Break

Happy Thursday my sweetheart!  So it has been a few super fun weeks at the antique shop and those of you who follow me on Instagram will have seen a few of these photos already, but here I can tell you a bit more about them!

I may have had a little play around with all the beautiful aquamarine and diamond rings from Moira and Richard Ogden…

I have such a soft spot for Aquamarines and they sure tally up well with diamonds!  When you get a really beautiful one it is like gazing into the Mediterranean Ocean, with that light-blue, see-through colour, where you almost expect little tropical fish to swim past!

Multicoloured gold necklace from Moira Fine Jewels

Ahh this was a funny story..!  The guys at Moira Fine Jewels asked me to wear this necklace in the shop and I took a few photos of it for their social media.  I then unwrapped it once around my neck to take it off – only to realise that I got myself into a real tangle and sure couldn’t get out!  One of my colleagues tried to help me but gave up after five minutes – fortunately my favourite jewellery craftsman walked through the door that very moment and decided to help and after another five minutes I was freed!  But that ridiculous feeling of being trapped sure came over me for a split second – although I can think of worse ways to go than in a £23,000 necklace with garnets, aquamarines and amethysts!  We also decided to measure it as it is so super long, and here is a live shot from the exercise:

How to measure jewellery

There were no two ways about it: it had to be done manually with a tape measurer and we made sure that all the aquamarines, sapphires in a rainbow of colours, citrines, peridots and zircons were included – and ended up with an impressive 7 feet!

So anyway, that is what we have been up to lately and I will now be going away for two weeks, and I won’t have very much internet connection, so it means that I will see you again after the 13th of June!  Wishing you a wonderful summer until then – and make sure to wear all your most beautiful pieces during that time!!

Cushion cut diamond ring from Moira Fine Jewels

And here is one more for good luck – a stunning cushion cut diamond from Moira Fine Jewels… and we swoon!

The Beautiful World of Emeralds

Good afternoon my dear, I hope that you have had a lovely one so far.  I find that a New Year always motivates me to sort things out and start afresh, and this January is no exception!  Today for example I have been transferring a lot of jewellery photos onto an external hard drive, to hopefully free up a bit of space on my laptop – and I kept running into all these interesting pictures of emeralds, that I wanted to share with you:

Emerald and Diamond ring from Richard Ogden, in the Burlington Arcade

The ring above features an emerald and two diamonds and it landed in my hands at work, as the stone weight needed to be measured.  Now I have learnt to calculate the weight of a gemstone the old school way too, but in this case I played around with an amazing app on my phone, where the following result came up:

My measurement of an emerald in the Gem Weight App

As per usual I was a few digits away from my boss’ result, but not too far, so I was quite pleased!  Often when you buy an antique or vintage diamond ring, the diamond hasn’t been taken out of its setting to be measured and certificated, as it could damage the beautiful old settings, so the antique dealers have to be very good at calculating weights etc from difficult angles.  I always find it such fun to try to master a diamond gauge – they look like this (top right corner of the photo):

A diamond gauge at the top right of the picture, used to calculate the weight of gemstones

And emeralds are just such divine little gemstones!  Sometimes people come by to look at an emerald ring for an engagement ring, but I tend to advise them to either choose a diamond, a sapphire or a ruby – only because emeralds are not the hardest stones around…

Emerald and Diamond Ring Art Deco style from Moira Fine Jewels

… and the last thing you want to do when you wear your engagement ring every day, is having to worry about cracking or denting it, so a more robust gemstone is usually a better idea.  However – I know one lady who has worn an aquamarine, which is an ever softer stone than an emerald, as her engagement ring for thirty years, and it is in perfect shape!  So it obviously also comes down to what kind of a person you are – I for one could never wear anything even remotely fragile, as I would damage it in no time.  Unfortunately!

Emerald and Diamond Ring from Moira Fine Jewels at Richard Ogden, Burlington Arcade

And here is another lovely emerald and diamond ring – this one is from Moira Fine Jewels and you can pop by Richard Ogden in the Burlington Arcade to view it closer, if it takes your fancy.

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

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!

The Classic Sale at Bukowskis Auction, Dec 2-5 Stockholm

 

Bukowskis – a pair of natural pearl earrings with diamonds, estimate 1.5-2million Swedish crowns (ca. £129,000)

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.

A pair of natural drop-shaped saltwater pearl and diamond girandole earrings. Bukowskis Auction

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.

Circa 3.50 ct cushion cut diamond ring. Possibly by Cartier. Quality circa ca E-F/VS2. Circa 1910 – 1920. Bukowskis Auction

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?  

Bukowskis ‘The Classic Sale’

Viewing: Nov 25 – Dec 1 2014, 11am – 6pm

Berzelii Park 1, Stockholm.

Auction: Dec 2 – 5 2014

Wahrendorffsgatan 8, Stockholm

Jewellery Designer Bear Brooksbank

Bear shows us an aquamarine and rock crystal cuff that she designed for a client

Good morning dear!  I am so very pleased to bring you today’s post, where we are meeting with London-based jewellery designer Bear Brooksbank.  Not only does Bear bring us a beautifully designed jewellery collection, but she also provides a bespoke jewellery design service and has an stunning range of antique jewellery pieces that complement her own designs.

“Tourmalated”quartz ring by Bear Brooksbank

When you enter Bear’s office in East London you right away notice how light and spacious the rooms are, with tall, elegant windows and pure white walls – something that immediately appealed to my Scandinavian self!  This understated elegance is then further echoed in her jewellery designs, where clean lines highlight the fascinating gemstones that she has chosen to work with – and that is in fact how Bear starts designing each piece, by picking the perfect stone.

This beautiful quartz ring from another angle

What struck me about the designs was that natural inclusions of the gemstones hadn’t always been polished away; quite the opposite, as they were often the most striking features in Bear’s jewellery.  She explained to me that she loves to celebrate the natural look and feel of the materials, which in turn makes each piece unique.  Above you can see the perfect example of this, in a yellow gold ring with a tourmalated quartz centre stone.  Below is another great example, as on the right side of the aquamarine cuff you can see a big, natural inclusion in the rock crystal, that Bear worked into the design:

Aquamarine and Rock Crystal cuff designed by Bear Brooksbank

Bear is a qualified gemologist and she started her jewellery career at antique jeweller Humphrey Butler, an antique jewellery specialist here in London, who focuses both on estate jewellery and more contemporary luxury items, dating from the 18th century to the present day.  She began designing her own jewellery in February 2012.

Art Deco has long been a great source of inspiration for her, but lately she has found herself more and more inspired by the 1940s, as we can see in the beautiful Art Deco diamond dress ring below.  The ring is set with old round brilliant-cut diamonds, and I must say that there is just something so beautiful and romantic about old cut diamonds – do make sure that you take a closer look with a loop when you next run into one!

Art Deco Gold and Diamond Ring from Bear Brooksbank

Bear doesn’t sell her jewellery via her website, instead her clients find her by word of mouth.  Part of the experience of having a pieces designed by Bear is working together with her; exploring the design, studying the metal and the gemstones, and bringing out a beautiful piece that is just your own.  Once you are happy with the design, her workshop will go ahead and create the piece for you.

Earrings by Bear Brooksbank

Some of Bear’s designs are inspired by previous eras and some are of contemporary design.  When it comes to bespoke designs, she is able to remodel for example your granny’s brooch into a necklace, and she takes great care in preserving the sentiment of the heirloom, while creating a piece that you will love to wear today.  As mentioned before here on the blog, it is so easy to keep your favourite pieces hidden away safely as you don’t dare to wear them, but I thought that Bear summed it up perfectly when she said: 

“You mustn’t be too sentimental about jewellery – it should be worn!”

A selection of rings from Bear’s collection

Bear also does bespoke engagement rings, where prices currently range from £1,900 up to £8,000, but if you would like to commission a piece on for example a £500 budget, then that can also be done.  In Bear’s own words: “Price shouldn’t limit you from getting the piece of jewellery that you want.”

Earrings by Bear Brooksbank

So my dear, I would warmly recommend that you take a look on Bear’s website to see if you find inspiration or even a piece that you love – and then get in touch with her to create that perfect piece of jewellery for you!  And do remember so share a photo of it here on the blog, as we would love to see what you end up going for!

The Burlington Arcade in London

We have visited Richard Ogden in The Burlington Arcade, and I thought we should learn a bit more about the arcade itself today, since I have found that it is such a dear place to so many of us:

The entrance to the Burlington Arcade

For those of you who haven’t yet visited the Burlington Arcade, it is situated between Piccadilly Circus and Green Park, and the arcade itself runs from Piccadilly all the way back to Burlington Gardens.  It was built in 1819 by Lord Cavendish and at the time consisted of 72 small two-storey units and a top lit walkway.  Many of the tenants and their families actually lived above and below their shops in rather cramped conditions!  (1)  As time went by, some of these units were combined and the arcade now consists of approximately 40 units.

Oh I do love this picture of the arcade, as so kindly lent to us by Richard Ogden

In the picture above you get an idea of what the arcade would have looked like during its first century.  You can see the time typical outfits, where the ladies are wearing bustles under their skirts to support the drapery of the back of the skirt and to stop the skirts from dragging behind.  As for the gents in the picture, we have the tall hat from the late 18th century, which was still worn and developed into the top hat.  The top hat was worn throughout the 19th century and it was popular among the gents to style their hair into a windswept look, or to wear it short and curled. (2)

Burlington Arcade

Dating so far back in time I wasn’t surprised to find out that the Burlington Arcade is in fact one of the predecessors to our modern day shopping galleries and shopping centres.  The arcade is patrolled by Burlington Arcade Beadles, wearing traditional and very handsome uniforms, including top hats and frock coats.  Do say hello when you pass them as they are always very friendly, and helpful in case you need advice.

People strolling through the arcade

There is a very fascinating and also frightening story from the arcade, in 1964, when a Jaguar Mark X suddenly raced down the arcade (the only car to ever have entered!), forcing pedestrians to throw themselves against the walls to save their lives!  It came to an abrupt stop outside the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Association shop, where six masked men jumped out of the car, smashed the windows of the shop and grabbed jewellery valued to £35,000! (3)  They then reversed out of the arcade and drove off – and were never caught.  After this incident big black gates were installed at both ends of the arcade to prevent other vehicles from entering.

Laduree in Burlington Arcade

Today we can enjoy visiting a wide range of shops in the arcade: from fine antique jewellers to high end fashion fashion and of course Ladurée, the French luxury bakery with their delicious macaroons!

Sources:

(1) The Burlington Arcade Website

(2) V&A Introduction to 19th century fashion

(3) Wikipedia – Burlington Arcade

Extraordinary antique jewellery weeks

Good morning my lovely, it is almost the weekend after this four day bank holiday week!

Burlington Arcade

These past two weeks I have spent working in one of the antique jewellery shops in the beautiful Burlington Arcade, and it has just been such a treat!  I am just writing a couple of in-depth posts but just wanted to let you know that it has involved learning about everything from the history of the monarchy here in the UK and how it affected jewellery designs; we have also looked closer at cuts and colours of diamond and what to look for when you are buying an engagement ring (yup, full post coming up on that too!)…

Diamond rings at Richard Ogden in Burlington Arcade

… how to tell if an emerald is an emerald or a fake stone posing as one and I have seen one of the most intense green emeralds of my life:

Antique emerald ring from Portugal – Harvey & Gore at Richard Ogden

… and I have been able to wear my special antique jewellery every day:

Wearing my antique pearl necklace

… so this is just a preview of a few upcoming posts, so you can probably understand my excitement!  For now I wish you a lovely weekend and look forward to bringing you more sparkling beauties next week!