‘Jewellery and Fashion from 1890 to 1929’ by Andrew Prince at Grays Antique Centre

 

Andrew Prince ‘From Downton to Gatsby, Jewellery and Fashion from 1890 to 1929’, a Grays Antique Centre

You guys!  I visited Grays Antiques on Monday and was swept off my feet by Andrew Prince’s stories about the different eras around the turn of the century – it was so amazing!  He whisked us away to faraway lands with tales and legends about Maharajas, Victorian socialites and the shocking style of the 1920s when women started applying make up in public.  One of the things that we learnt was that only the highest ranking Maharaja was allowed to wear a full crown, so the other Maharajas would wear tiaras over their turbans, that only just didn’t connect at the back, to get around the rule!  So sneaky.

Andrew Prince ‘From Downton to Gatsby, Jewellery and Fashion from 1890 to 1929’, at Grays Antique Centre

And the above photo is from my favourite story of the day – although for my life I can’t remember the name of this Victorian socialite!

Two young ladies in the 1890s were enemies in everything, from wealth to clothes to men, and always tried to outdo each other.  One evening, at a great ball, Lady 1 above appeared wearing all her jewellery, as you can see in the photo.  The rivalling Lady 2 could’t believe her eyes, and sent for her maid, who brought along a trunk filled with all of Lady 2’s jewellery.  She plonked on the table in front of Lady 1 one and said: ‘There!  I have so much that I simply can’t wear it all at once!”  The young socialite in the photo allegedly huffed and puffed – and left the party in a fury!

1940s 18ct yellow gold ring with diamonds

There is also so much that goes on outside these talks, as in antique jewellery there is just never a dull moment!  One of my fellow listeners was wearing this amazing 1940’s 18ct yellow gold and platinum ring with brilliant cut diamonds that we all just swooned over!  I thought for a moment that it might have been a 50s piece, because of its extravagant design but I do agree that there are lingering Art Deco features in the ring, like its geometric shapes which was so typical especially for the 20s and 30s, so 40s it is!  Isn’t it just amazing?!

My own look for the day, with a 1920s blue zircon bar brooch

1920s blue zircon bar brooch

I decided to wear my favourite brooch in the whole wide world – a blue zircon flanked with diamonds from the 1920s, and I thought that it went so beautifully with my turquoise scarf.  In fact, if you are following us on Instagram you will see that I am going through a white and turquoise phase, with everything I wear being those two colours!!

An array of gold bracelets and bangles from Arabella Bianco in Grays Antique Centre

A close up of these stunning treasures from Arabella Bianco

I obviously had to pop down to Arabella Bianco in Grays after Andrew’s talk, as I am on the lookout for some gold coloured bracelets at the moment.  She of course had a wide range and so I hung around for far longer than I had intended to!  There were stunning pieces by the big vintage jewellery houses and I fell in love with a pair of Art Deco style drop earrings, but already have something similar at home so I didn’t end up buying them (not that that has stopped me before..!)

Beautiful vintage jewellery from Arabella Bianco in Grays Antique Centre

So I would like to thank Grays Antiques for setting up this wonderful day of behind the scenes antique jewellery talks, and I hope that we will have many more to look forward to!  And I would absolutely love to see you guys there, as I think that it gives such an extra dimension to wearing your vintage or antique pieces, when you know the eras a little bit better, and you can associate certain details and designs to a particular time.  And thank you Andrew for giving such an amazing talk – entertaining and fascinating, as always!

‘A day of antiques: looking beyond the trade at Grays’

Pendant earrings by Andrew Prince – who is giving a talk at Grays Antique Centre on Monday 15th of June

Ladies and Gents, I am so excited to let you know that on MONDAY we can all visit Grays Antique Centre and listen to talks spanning the arts, antiques and collecting spheres – speakers include our very own Andrew Prince, BBC2 Collectaholics Mark Hill, the owner of Grays and Alfies Antiques, Bennie Gray and many others!  I sure will be going and hope to see you there!

Grays Antique Centre – London Talks

Tickets are very reasonably priced at £10 (and include a glass of prosecco!) with a discount for multiple purchases and they have set up the talks to run throughout the day as follows:

Grays Antique Centre Monday 15th June 2015

11am: ‘Luxury: Between Opulence and Minimalism’, Professor Giorgio Riello
12pm: ‘From Downton to Gatsby, Jewellery and Fashion from 1890 to 1929’, Andrew Prince
1pm: ‘Undressing Antiques’, Mark Hill
2pm: ‘Antiques: Looking to the future’, Bennie Gray
3pm: ‘How London’s heritage brands contributed to the war effort’ with Q&A, Penelope Sacorafou and Caroline Groves
4pm: ‘Post-War Rye Pottery: History and Collecting’, Elisabeth Bogdan
5pm: ‘Contemporary Chinese Print-Making’, Dr Anne Farrer
Price: £10 per talk, £18 for two or £25 for three
Duration: 45 minutes
Tickets will include a glass of prosecco and are available online at www.foxandsquirrel.com/london-talks/ or in person from reception at Grays on South Molton Lane.

Antique evening bag, Grays Antique Centre (NOT the copyright of Decades of Elegance – the blog is playing up today!)

Amethyst & Diamond Heart Ring.Spectrum. (NOT the copyright of Decades of Elegance – the blog is playing up a bit today!)

So I am very much hoping to see you at Grays on Monday my dear, until then have a wonderful weekend!

Tickets can be bought here: Fox and Squirrel – London Talks 15th June 2015.

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

Arabella Bianco’s Vintage Jewellery Collection

Hello my dear, I sure hope you are having a wonderful week in this glorious weather.  London feels like a Mediterranean city with the sun beaming down on us and the trees and flowers so proudly flaunting their summer costumes.

Arabella Bianco at Vintage Modes

As promised in Monday’s post, we are today going to check out Arabella Bianco’s dazzling new home at Vintage Modes in Grays Antique Centre.

Stunning Vintage Bracelet and Necklace set from Arabella Bianco 

I am such a fan of the Arabella Bianco collection because this lady knows her jewellery!  The condition of the pieces is always great and the designs are so exciting, with everything from Christian Dior and Balenciaga to Trifari, Butler & Wilson… and so much more!

Parrot Brooch from Arabella Bianco at Grays Antique Centre

The owner, Lesley Sargeant, started selling fair trade in 2007 at Bromley Town Centre Market, and later expanded into jewellery.  Just like our mantra here on the blog, she adores vintage jewellery because it is so well-made and beautiful, and the finds are always so unexpected!  50s to 80s vintage costume jewellery is their speciality but they stock new vintage style jewellery too.

Yep, rows and rows and shelves of beautiful pieces of jewellery!

You can buy their beautiful pieces from their website, from their store in Vintage Modes at Grays Antique Centre and at vintage events.  Their slogan is the lovely ‘fun fashion with a difference’  and they loosely follow trends to fit with the modern day wardrobe.

And when you pop by the shop do say hi to Lesley from me – and make sure that you ask her about pieces that you are interested in, as she will tell you about the designs and often also the fascinating stories behind them – which is of course what vintage jewellery is all about!

Vintage Pearl and Rhinestone earrings at Arabella Bianco at Grays Antique Centre

Arabella Bianco at Vintage Modes, 1-7 Davies Mews, Mayfair, London W1K 5AB

Russian Art Nouveau at Shapiro & Co

One of the first stands that I visited at the Chelsea Antiques Fair was Shapiro & Co – who usually resides at our favourite Grays Antique Market in Mayfair.  They showed me the most exquisite pieces of antique jewellery:

Shapiro & Co, Russian Gold, Amethyst and Green Garnet Pendant 1908 – 17, £3750

Shapiro & Co, Russian Gold, Amethyst and Green Garnet Pendant 1908 – 17, £3750

We have previously found out that the finest amethysts were historically found in Russia: February Amethyst Allure.  This pendant comes from Russia’s  and was made sometime in between 1908-17, during the exciting Art Nouveau (“New Art”) period.  In Russia designers took inspiration from folk tales and history during the Art Nouveau era, and Moscow and St. Petersburg were the two centres for this “Stil’ Modern”.  The appearance of St. Petersburg today was very much shaped by the Art Nouveau movement and you will find whole suburbs built in the distinctive style (1).

Antique Citrine Cocktail Ring, Shapiro & Co

We also adore large cocktail rings here on the blog, so this stunning citrine ring simply had to be featured in the blog.  Ladies, how would you wear it?  As you know we have a similar ring in the Decades of Elegance collection and one of our models wore it with a blouse and pencil skirt when we took this photo a couple of summers ago:

Styling ideas for a citrine cocktail ring: a dressy blouse and a pencil skirt – and those perfectly painted nails!

You can visit Shapiro & Co at Grays Antique Market where they specialise in jewellery, silver, objects d’art, British arts and crafts and imperial Russian works of art, including Faberge pieces.  Shapiro & Co Stand 380, Gray’s Antiques Market, 58 Davies Street, London, W1K 5LP.

Sources:

(1) Art Nouveau Around the World

A sparkling Christmas party at Grays Antique Centre II

In this last post before Christmas we are visiting DB Gems at Grays Antique Centre, where I was mesmerised by this late 19th century diamond tiara:

Late 18th Century tiara with rose cut diamonds at DBGems, Grays Antique Market

The centre stone is a Rose Cut Diamond, and this sounds so alluring that I just had to find out more:

The Rose Cut dates all the way back to the early 1500s (1) and was a very popular choice of diamond cut during the Georgian and Victorian eras (2).  However, as cutting technology developed the Brilliant Cut became the popular choice in diamonds, as it provided more sparkle in candle light and so the rose cut fell out of fashion for a while.  It did however regain popularity soon again and has remained a treasured choice in engagement rings until this very day.

A rose cut diamond as the centre stone

You might notice in the photo above that the centre diamond is raised above the others?  A rose cut stone is cut to resemble the spiralling petals of a rose, so it features a flat bottom and a dome-shaped crown.  It can have anything from 3 to 24 facets, which are the flat areas on the stone that allows it to reflect light and dazzle us!

Vintage cufflinks at DBGems, Grays Antique Market

I was also delighted to see the amazing collection of cufflinks at DB Gems, that will make the perfect Christmas presents for the gentleman in your life who has everything!

Antique diamond rings at DBGems, Grays Antique Market (please forgive the reflection in the photo!)

I also spent a looong time admiring their necklaces and diamond rings.  We can also glimpse some sapphires and rubies in the photo above, just in case anyone is after a wedding present for their loved one for example..?

Grays Antique Centre, 7 Davies Mews, London, W1K 5AB 

A huge thank you to Grays for having us over!  Hopefully you will get a chance to pop by there during Christmas as it really is a wonderland of beautiful jewellery and works of art.

Sources:

(1) Tracy Matthews

(2) Brilliant Earth

Antique Lace at Diane Harby’s, Grays Antique Centre

So we are still at Gray’s Christmas Party, and we have now come down the stairs where we passed the Haywood Sister’s lovely singing – and we are finding ourselves by Diane Harby’s beautiful antique lace stand:

Diane Harby Antique Lace at Grays Antique Centre

Diane Harby sources the finest quality lace and I loved reading what she has to say about the history of lace:

“In Europe from the 16th to the 18th century the finest quality laces were so highly prized that their value was greater than gold and they became the ultimate status symbol throughout the courts. The tradition of handworked lace continues to the present day. Diane stocks handworked and machined lace collars, shawls, scarves and veils; Normandy and Tuile lace tablecentres; embroidered linen, cut-work and crochet traycloths, and much more. Also available are custom-made cushions and curtains.” – Diane Harby at Grays Antique Centre

Bows and lace… my absolute favourites!

Stunning lacework

Beautiful lace collar and a shrug at the back

Diane Harby Antique Lace at Stand 148, Grays Antique Centre

So all you brides looking for that perfect lace shrug to wear around your shoulders, do pop by Grays Antique’s in Mayfair and have a look around Diane Harby’s collection.  She offers such a wide range of styles and colours that I am sure you will find your perfect piece.

A sparkling Christmas party at Grays Antique Centre

We received a lovely invitation to a Christmas party at Grays Antique Centre last week, which really put the sparkle into this year’s Christmas!

Grays Antique Centre in Mayfair

Grays Antique Centre is based in Mayfair, just by Bond Street tube station and with Christmas coming up it is such a wonderful place to find some very special presents for your loved ones.  You can get everything from very high-end pieces of jewellery (diamonds, emeralds, amethysts etc) to very reasonably priced costume jewellery – from all the glorious decades gone by!

Any favourites?

I stopped by Westleigh Antiques and had a lovely chat with the trader there – and I just couldn’t take my eyes off the most stunning pieces antique and antique-style jewellery!  I was especially delighted to see the most glorious cocktail rings shimmering and sparkling back at me:

30 karat Aquamarine cocktail ring at Westleigh Antiques, Grays Antique Centre

Diamond and pearl cocktail ring at Westleigh Antiques, Grays Antique Centre

Chandelier Diamond Earrings at Westleigh Antiques

The Haywood Sisters at Grays Antique Centre

We also had the pleasure of seeing the Haywood Sisters performing Christmas songs for us.  This lovely vocal trio were styled top to toe in vintage and brought a wonderful touch of glamour and sparkle to the evening.  With backgrounds in West End musicals and other high-end performances they are the perfect addition to a wide range of events, so do check out their beautiful singing here: The Haywood Sisters.

John Joseph at Grays Antique Market Christmas Party

We have seen a few pieces from John Joseph before and I couldn’t resist the temptation of photographing their vintage and antique engagement collection:

Antique Engagement Rings at John Joseph, Grays Antique Centre

They also do the most beautiful cocktail rings with all the precious gemstones you could ever dream of:

Sapphires and emeralds at John Joseph Antiques

We still have a few dealers to visit so stay tuned and I will take you along to see some heavenly antique lace, a late 19th century tiara and some very handsome cuff links – the perfect present for the gentleman that has everything!