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!

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?

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 Rare and Stunning Yellow Diamond

Good evening my lovely, I had the opportunity to look closer at some of the yellow diamond rings in our shop the other day, and I wanted to show them to you here:

Yellow diamond rings from Moira Fine Jewellery at Richard Ogden in the Burlington Arcade

Coloured diamonds are very rare, and naturally yellow diamonds are amongst the rarest, which is why they fetch such a high price.  The colour comes from the presence of nitrogen when the diamond is formed, and the most fabulously vivid yellow diamonds are found in South African mines. (1)  The clarity and the depth of the stone is looked at to determine the diamond’s value, and the presence of another colour can also affect what it will be priced at; orange colouring in a yellow diamond is more rare than brown for example, so an orangish yellow diamond will be more valuable than one with a brown tint.

I adore cushion cut diamonds and the above is a wonderful example, where you can see that the corners are so beautifully rounded off to create the cushion shape

I have written about the world’s most famous yellow diamond before here on the blog in the post A Tiffany & Co Love Story, but I really must mention it again!  It is one of the largest yellow diamonds ever discovered and in rough it weighed 287.484 carats when it was discovered in South Africa’s Kimberley mine in 1878.  It was cut into a cushion shape of 128.54 carats, and in order to maximise its brilliance it was cut with 82 facets, which is 24 more than a traditional round brilliant cut diamond.  New York jeweller Charles Tiffany bought the stone and his gemologist George Frederick Kunz (at the mere age of 23!) spent a year studying the stone before cutting it. (2)

Another one of  Moira’s beautiful yellow diamond rings – you can view it at Richard Ogden in the Burlington Arcade!

An oval yellow diamond surrounded by pavé set brilliant cut diamonds.  The tiny beads that you can see along the outer edge of the ring are called millegrain (a thousand grains) and they are one of my very favourite details in jewellery.  I will write a whole post on them soon!

Sources:

(1) Sciences – All About Yellow Diamonds  

(2) Wikipedia – Tiffany Yellow Diamond

A Burmese Ruby and Diamond Three Stone Ring

Happy Friday my lovely!  Oh I am always so glad that I picked Friday as one of my days to post, as it means that I can say those four words to you first thing!

So yesterday in the antique jewellery shop I was looking closer at our Ruby collection and suddenly realised that one of the ruby and diamond three stone rings in fact had a Burmese Ruby as its centre stone!  Now you might remember the previous post Ruby – the King of the Gemstones, where we learnt that a Burmese Ruby, also known as Pigeon’s Blood Ruby, is the most sought after colour in this gemstone, and I am so pleased that I can now show you what it looks like:

Burmese Ruby and Diamond Three Stone Ring at Richard Ogden, Burlington Arcade

While working in the shop I have noticed that three stone rings are quite a popular choice for engagement rings, and some say that they represent the couple’s past, present and future.  To some people the arrangement has a religious meaning, said to represent the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.  When it comes to this design of three stone rings, you may also find that they are referred to as Trinity Rings or Trilogy Rings.

An angled view of the ring – I haven’t made any alterations to the picture, to give you the chance to really see the colour of the Ruby 

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!