Burlington Arcade – then and now

                      Burlington Arcade with its beautiful new floors – we are huge fans!

Hello my dearest one, you might have wondered why there have been so few new blog posts lately and I can only blame it on the bane of my misery: IT.  But things should be up and running now so that we can get back to our beloved antique jewellery!

It has been a few really fun weeks in the antique shop; we have had some beautiful pieces come through the door and we are now in the middle of putting together the Christmas Catalogue! (I know right, in August!?)!  But it is all great fun and I am learning TONS, and obviously passing on the most interesting information to you fine folks!

      A few diamond set clasps for necklaces that I was showing a client – on top of an old                                                Burlington Arcade postcard

Yesterday three photographs of the Burlington Arcade at the beginning of the 19th century popped up on my desk.  We have looked at the history of the Arcade before, in the blog post the Burlington Arcade in London, but there are a few more fun pieces of information left to learn:

               Antique photographs featuring the Burlington Arcade – at Richard Ogden

In the top photo you can see one of the Beadles (the gentlemen guarding the Arcade) addressing a man with an umbrella, as you are not allowed to carry open umbrellas in the Arcade.  Legend has it that even after the bombings in the 1940s destroyed the roof of the Arcade the Beadles would enforce the no-umbrella law – that is how seriously they take their duties!

                       The new floors of the Burlington Arcade, as modelled by Fluffy

And you might not know this, but whistling is not allowed in the Arcade either, and there is quite a shocking reason to this: during the 1800s the first floors in the Arcade were used by “working ladies”, and every time that the police approached the Arcade someone would whistle to warn these ladies – and the men who were with them – so that they could make a quick escape!  So whenever someone walks down the Arcade whistling, they get a kind reminder from the Beadles that it is not allowed.  I do in fact hear quite a few people every week trying to whistle a little tune in the arcade, and it is a shame in a way that you are not allowed to, as the acoustics are so great now that we have the beautiful new floors there!

                             Then and Now – the entrance of the Burlington Arcade

And in the bottom postcard we have a view of the entrance to the Arcade before it was redesigned in the 30s.  I had a lot of fun putting together the two photos above, as they really highlight how much has changed in these past 100 years – just look at people’s outfits!  Not to mention all the vehicles blocking the way for my perfect photo!!

I would love to hear which one of the two designs you prefer – and also whether you have visited the Arcade and maybe have some special memories from there?  For example seeing a pair of glorious earrings, or maybe shopping for an engagement ring?

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!

‘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.

Treasure hunting at the BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair

At BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair

Hello my lovely, I hope that you had a wonderful weekend!  I sure did, as I visited BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair together with a friend on Saturday, before going for the most yummy chai tea latte on Duke of York Square, at a café that I think was called Startisan.  I am really into  lovely food that you can eat with a good conscience, so their sugar and gluten free Banana and Maple Bread was the most wonderful treat!

Oh and I am SO sorry that last week was just a mess here on the blog, with only a blog post on Tuesday!  The reason for this is that I am preparing for a very special day and so I am a bit behind on all things at the moment, so thank you my dear for understanding!

Everything from paintings to jewellery and furniture in the most stunning designs…

Okay let’s hop back to the BADA fair!!  It was buzzing with people – from the general browsers and admirers to antiques dealers – and all the stands were obviously covered in stunning antique furniture and jewellery.  First I briefly popped by Wakelin & Linfield Antiques – you might remember the blog post about their stunning 19th century Italian oak table with a trompe d’oeil Pietra Dura marble top:  Wakelin & Linfield Antiques at LAPADA 2014

Richard Ogden – diamond Ring BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair

… and soon we found ourselves at Richard Ogden, where my friend lots her heart to this stunning 3ct cushion cut diamond, which I have the pleasure of looking at every day in the shop:

3 carat cushion cut diamond ring from Richard Ogden at the BADA fair

You can see the beautiful range of diamond bracelets from Richard Ogden as well above: from the thinner tennis bracelets on the left to the more elaborate 1930’s Art Deco diamond bracelet on the right… how much do we love!?

Johnson Walker at the BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair

We then continued on to Johnson Walker Ltd, where a friend of mine was working behind the counter – such a lovely small world it is, the antique jewellery business in London!  Some stunning signed gold pieces above…

Johnson Walker at the BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair

… not to mention the glorious gemstones – Burmese Rubies, stunning sapphires and dazzling emeralds.  Do you see any new favourites?

So if you get a chance to visit the fair their last day is tomorrow, but it is so worth popping by!

Welcome 2015!

 

Hello my dearest, I hope you had a wonderful holiday season!  I sure did, with a proper winter and -11 degrees in Sweden, a fabulous New Year celebration, and such a lovely 2015 to look forward to.  So many people seem to have had a bit of a questionable 2014, so the spirits for this new year are raised!

FrockMe! Vintage Fashion Fair, Chelsea Old Town Hall

Just to get us started – there is a Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair coming up at Chelsea Old Town Hall on 1 February.  The advance tickets are a mere £4 so definitely something to take a closer look at.

From the Catherine Southon Auction on 19th November 2014

The next Catherine Southon Auction (you might remember her from the previous post Catherine Southon – Auction coming up on 19th November 2014) will be 25th March – and it will be attended by BBC Bargain Hunt!

The Third Imperial Fabergé Easter Egg at Wartski in Mayfair

Wartski (we visited them in the blog post Found! The Third Imperial Fabergé Easter Egg) will be celebrating their 150th anniversary and Geoffrey Munn’s book on the history of Wartski will be published in May.

And as for Decades of Elegance – I will keep bringing you the most beautiful pieces of antique jewellery that London, Sweden and South Africa have to offer!  I will also keep inspiring you with lovely vintage finds – everything from handbags to dresses!  And if there is anything that you would like to share with us here on the blog, please feel free to send a photo to me on:

info@decadesofelegance.com

… and I will share it with all the other lovely readers here!

Citrine and Topaz – the November Birthstones

“Who first comes to this world below
With drear November’s fog and snow,
Should prize the topaz’s amber hue,
Emblem of friends and lovers true.”

Above is the November birthstone poem included in Tiffany & Co’s pamphlet from 1870, “of unknown author”.  So the traditional birthstone for November is the Topaz, however, the Citrine is considered November’s contemporary birthstone, as it is more reasonably priced and also more easily available than the topaz.

From Richard Ogden square cut topaz, by Hemmerle, Munich

The topaz was given its name by the Romans, who discovered the stone on a small island in the Red Sea called Topazos.  Just to make things a bit more confusing; they also found the citrine on this very island, and I can assure you that these two gemstones can be very difficult to tell apart!  As history would have it, the topaz spent the rest of its life getting confused and mixed up with other gemstones, and most often with the citrine, as the two stones are very similar in colour – their shape and form are however different and helps us to tell them apart.

Citrine Ring ca 1960/70s, Decades of Elegance

The topaz comes in a wide range of colours – pure topaz is colourless yet with the addition of for example chromium, we get red and pink hues.  The most sought after colour is a reddish orange one, called Imperial Topaz, which can resemble the exceptional Padparadscha sapphire that I have mentioned before, but that I am yet to write a blog post about.  Topaz can also be found in tones of green, blue, yellow and brown – and these have all been mistaken for various other gemstones through times.  As a result of all these misconceptions, the topaz has been assigned a world of different healing properties!  It is associated with constancy, loyalty, faithfulness and friendship, as the poem above so beautifully points out.  It is also believed to help with health problems, including curing fever, asthma and insomnia.  Topaz is today found in Brazil, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and China.

From Moira Jewels: citrine and tourmaline necklace, mounted in gold

The topaz was popular amongst the royals during the Middle Ages and in the 13th century it was believed that a falcon engraved into a topaz would help its wearer cultivate the goodwill of kings, princes and magnates (2).

From Moira Jewels: a pair of citrine and tourmaline cluster earrings, mounted in gold

The other birthstone for November, the citrine, is known as the “healing quartz”.  It is believed to support vitality and health while encouraging and guiding hope, energy and warmth within the wearer (3).  We can find the citrine in a wide range of colours; from pastel yellow to dark brownish orange and it is most frequently found in Brazil, Bolivia, and Spain.  There are so many wonderful things to say about the citrine, as it is known in crystal work as a success and prosperity stone – to the point that it is called the “Success Stone”! (4)

Sources:

(1) Birthday Gems

(2) EarthSky

(3) American Gem Society – Citrine 

(4) Crystal and Jewelry

Hatton Garden – London’s Jewellery Quarter

A cheeky visit to Hatten Garden last week – obviously wearing the vintage snake necklace!

When I first started writing this blog almost 2,5 years ago, one of the first things that I did was visit Hatton Garden, since I had heard that it was the centre of the UK diamond trade and the heart of London’s antique jewellery world.  The other week I popped by there for work, which obviously was a great excuse to take some photos for you:

Hatton Garden, Jewellery Centre of London

What I didn’t know the first time that I visited, was that the area surrounding Hatton Garden has been the centre of London’s jewellery trade since medieval times! (1)  In fact, the old City of London used to have specific quarters dedicated to various types of businesses, and the area around Hatton Garden sure hit the jackpot in my eyes, when it became a centre for jewellers and jewellery.  Hatton Garden is located very close to Chancery Lane, and you can also get there on foot from Holborn tube station.

Diamonds, diamonds everywhere!

The history of Hatton Garden dates back to the 15th century, when the Bishops of Ely in London lived in Ely Place in Holborn.  One of Queen Elizabeth I’s favourite courtiers, Sir Christopher Hatton, built Holdenby Palace, one of the largest palaces in the Tudor period (1485-1603), in 1583 as an honour to the Queen.  She was mighty delighted about this and told the Bishop of Ely that he simply must rent a portion of his land to Hatton – although some say that the Queen actually granted Hatton the Bishop’s house, much to the Bishop’s displeasure!  Hatton went on to (in a very humble way..!) renaming the Garden in the area after himself, and so Hatton Garden was born! (2)

Hatton Garden

Clerkenwell was at the time well known for watches and jewellery, but once the roads improved around Hatton Garden, craftsmen from Clerkenwell started populating this part of town as well.  Gold and platinum were trades of the street and Hatton Garden became known as a cutting centre for Indian diamonds; and once the Kimberley Diamond Rush of South Africa took place in the late 19th century, South African diamonds also found their way to Hatton Garden. (2)

Who knows, maybe some of these diamonds were cut a long time ago in Hatton Garden?  These beauties are from the exquisite collection of Moira Jewels at Richard Ogden in the Burlington Arcade

These days you can visit jewellery shops that specialise in traditional as well as contemporary designs in Hatton Garden, and it is definitely worth a visit as you can stroll down the streets and admire the most sparkling pieces of jewellery in the windows!

Sources:

1) Wikipedia – Hatton Garden

(2) Sterling Diamonds 

 

Wakelin & Linfield Antiques at LAPADA 2014

So LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair took place the other week, and filled Berkeley Square with the most exquisite pieces of antique furniture and jewellery.  I first visited Michael Wakelin & Helen Linfield’s fine antique furniture for town and country, where these very unusual Chinese paintings of fish were adorning their wall:

Most unusual Chinese paintings

We found out that it is highly unusual to find these rice paper pictures with fish as the subject – usually you will see them with all other types of animals, so it was quite a treat for us to be able to admire these ones.  I did however love the following paintings very much, and wouldn’t mind having a few in my house one day:

Wakelin & Linfield Chinese Paintings

I also fell in love with the 19th century Italian oak table below, which had such a remarkable top!  The description for it read:

A fine 19th century high renaissance styled oak table with a fine trompe l’oeil Pietra Dura specimen marble top  

Italy c 1850  £19,500

Since Trompe l’œil as well as Pietra Dura are both new expressions to us, I thought that we could take a closer look:

 19th century oak table with a fine trompe l’oeil marble top – Italy ca 1850, £19,500

I would love to have this beautiful table in a large hallway, with a lovely flower arrangement in top!

You can see in the photos above that the pattern on the table promotes a 3D effect.  This is the result of the art technique Trompe l’œil (French for deceive the eye), which creates the optical illusion that the object is three dimensional.

The Trompe l’œil art form has its roots in antiquity and legend has it that the painter Zeuxis in ancient Greece painted such realistic grapes that birds descended upon them for a nibble!  His fellow artist Parrhasius was so impressed and inspired by his work, that he invited Zeuxis over to judge one of his paintings a few weeks later.  He showed Zeuxis into his study and urged him to take a look at the painting, which was residing behind a curtain.  Zeuxis was so eager to see the painting that he immediately tried to move the curtains aside, only to find out that the curtains were in fact the painting – making Parrhasius the winner!

This beautiful 19th century high renaissance styled oak table featuring fine trompe l’oeil as well as Pietra Dura

Pietra Dura on the other hand is a term for the inlay technique of creating images by using cut and fitted, highly polished colored stones.  Marbles were used a lot, like on our table here – but different coloured stones along with semiprecious and even precious stones were also often used.  This decorative art form has its roots in Rome in the 16th century, and it eventually reached its full maturity in Florence.

 Late 18th century occasional table – England c. 1780 £4950

I also have a thing for really elegant tables, and this one was just so beautiful that I had to show it to you – the description reading:

An exceptionally fine model of a late 18th century occasional table (formerly a work table – bag now missing) the oval top, shelf and frieze in burr yew and cross banded in zebrawood.  The elegantly drawn legs with ebony inlay and carved ebony roundels to the feet.  England c. 1780 £4950

I just love the zebrawood details… 

Another closeup of this stunning table

So if you want to see more from the Wakelin & Linfield collection you can find them just 4 miles from Petworth, just make sure that you make an appointment before you visit.  You can find more information on their Wakelin & Linfield website.

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

Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947) sculpture at the Chelsea Antiques fair

Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947)

At the Chelsea Antiques fair on Saturday I was just delighted to see this beautiful sculpture on display, as it is a Demitri Chiparus – my favourite artist of all time.  You might remember a blog post that I wrote about an antique shop in Wynberg, Cape Town last year:  Eclectica Antique Shop in Wynberg, Cape Town – chapter II ?  A great deal of focus in that post is on Chiparus’ sculptures, so do pop back over to refresh your memory – I am pretty sure that you will immediately be able to identify his specific style.

Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947)

I just find the way that he captures mid-dance movements to be extraordinary.  It is as if this lady will dance out of the photo any moment and continue her dance in front of us.  Just look at the graceful movement in the photo above, and the amazing design work in the picture below, where the details of the dress are so intricate and delicate (I would wear that outfit any day!!!)

Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947) 

The lady who had this sculpture on display runs a blog about extraordinary things that happen in the world, which you can find here: Eluxe TV.

Oh I do wish I had taken a photo of what she was wearing, as it was just fabulous – and something that so many young ladies who love vintage clothes strive to achieve these days!  A pair of oversized earrings, that most likely date back to the 60s, looked just right with her outfit that included pinks and reds – two colours that can sometimes clash terribly, unless you have that impeccable sense of style and know how to make it look haute couture instead, which she most certainly did.  We had a wonderful chat about antiques and life, and I do hope to run into her again at another antique fair – maybe I will be able to get a photo for you guys then instead!

Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947)

It really has been such a wonderful whirlwind of emotions and exciting things happening here on the blog this week, so thanks for popping by and I will see you again on Monday – have a lovely weekend!