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?

Moira Jewels at the LAPADA Art and Antiques Fair

Good morning dearest!  We are back at the LAPADA fair in Berkeley Square from the other week, and today we are admiring the collection of Moira Jewels:

A few beauties from Moira’s collection: a pair of aquamarine and diamond earrings, and a black opal ring with diamonds

I have been told by quite a few people to look closer at the pieces that belong to Moira’s collection, as they are some of the finest antique and vintage jewels around.  Above is a pair of aquamarine and diamond earrings – pretty sure I can hear a few of you swoon!

A few dress rings (also called cocktail rings) from Moira.  I adore the opal at the front here with its soft colours

I obviously have the privilege of looking at Moira’s pieces to my heart’s content, as they have their collection on display at Richard Ogden in the Burlington Arcade!  Their pieces span across the 20th century and you will find signed originals from the finest design houses, covering the art deco period – and continuing on to 1940s gold work and the modernist creations of the 1950s to the 1980s.

Vintage diamond watches from Moira Jewels

… and if you are anything like me, then these Art Deco diamond watches will make your heart beat just a little bit faster!  Oh can you imagine wearing one of these to that birthday party, or to those drinks at the weekend?  As soon as I wear a special piece of jewellery, I get so much more inspired to get dressed up and match it with a lovely dress.  I do think that we have moved away a little bit too much from the times when we would often wear our finest, so let’s just bring that back, shall we?  I am doing a proper summer to winter-wardrobe revamp this week and I will make sure to keep some glorious dresses out to stay inspired to wear them!

 Diamond tiaras from Moira Jewels

And these diamond tiaras were just too pretty you guys!!  Here in the UK (since I know that you lovely readers are based around the world) it is quite common for the bride to wear a tiara, and so it is just wonderful when these lovely ladies come into the shop and try on our collection of vintage and antique tiaras!  I would love to hear whether you would choose to wear a tiara or a veil or flowers or just a gorgeous hairdo at your wedding?

I will write a longer post on Moira Jewels soon and bring you some more photos of these heavenly pieces, and now I would like to wish you a lovely rest of the day!

 

Art Deco Heaven – Matthew Foster 20th Century Design

Hello dear, I am back again from Cape Town and have a bunch of wonderful posts about South African antiques and jewellery coming up soon!  We must however first visit a few more amazing antique dealers at the Lapada Art & Antique Fair.  Today we are looking into my dream corner at the fair:  Matthew Foster’s collection of Art Deco jewellery, furniture and decorative pieces.  How very Great Gatsby you might think, and I can only agree!  Let’s start out with the glorious jewellery collection:

Matthew Foster – Coral, Black Onyx and Marcasite earrings in silver ca.1920’s

Jewellery of the Art Deco era were often described with the term “Cubism”, and you can see a prime example of this in the earrings above.  They show the geometric lines and angles, and there is a clear absence of any flowing lines, that were so typical of Deco’s predecessor Art Nouveau.

Matthew Foster – Art Deco French paste mounted in silver 

Matthew Foster – Art Deco 1920’s antique earrings

After having lost my heart to the beautiful pieces in the jewellery collection, I moved on to the furniture and decorative pieces.  It struck me how well these designs would go in any house today, alongside our contemporary furniture and design.  This really is the beauty of Art Deco; timeless elegance without any unnecessary ornaments to distract you from the designs.

My absolute favourite piece was this Art Deco Period Clock.  Clear and Mirrored Glass, Nickled Bronze, French ca. 1930’s 

Oh yes, I can definitely see myself making cocktails in this glorious cocktail shaker and serving them in the beautiful cocktail glasses from the Dirty Thirties:

Mappin & Webb Art Deco Period Cocktail Set Design by Keith Murray, Silverplate ca 1930’s

Both my friend and I zoomed in on this Art Deco mirror, with its beautiful clean lines and design, which would make such a lovely centre piece in any hallway:

Matthew Foster – Art Deco Period Wall Mirror rare design with original mirror plate Nickled Iron French ca 1920’s

Art Deco Period Wall Mirror, ca 1920’s

We can find Matthew’s collection of collectibles in the beautiful Burlington Arcade in Mayfair, where he specialises in Art Deco, Retro, Art Modern and 1960’s design.

Now tell me, do you have any favourites among the pieces above?  A piece of jewellery that would go perfectly with your outfit or maybe a decorative pieces for  your house?