Antique ‘En Tremblent’ Gold Brooch

At Richard Ogden Gold Bird Brooch ‘En Tremblent’ with turquoise stones and rubies

Oh I just had to share this brooch with you fine folks, as it is just such a sweet and beautifully made piece of jewellery, circa 1880, so a late Victorian piece.  The style is referred to as En Tremblent, which obviously is French and means to tremble.  The name comes from the gemstones and sections of the piece being set so that they have some beautiful movement to them.  As an example, in this brooch the bird is set on a gold spring, which makes it tremble when it is moved around.  The ruby in its beak is only fastened with a small bit of gold, so it gives an extra dimension of movement to the piece.  It is so well made, which was also pointed out by one of the most skilled antique style jewellery craftsmen that I know here in London – he if anyone would know what quality when it comes to antique pieces!

The back of the brooch, which is just about as beautiful as the front!

They started creating en tremblent jewellery in the late 18th century, as the movement of the gemstones so cleverly caught the light and attracted the eye.  They would mainly create floral sprays with the main flower en tremblent, to make it look like it was swaying in the wind.  We already know that these old cut diamonds were especially stunning in candle light, as the light would be reflected across the room in the most soft and romantic manner.

Richard Ogden Gold Bird Brooch En Tremblent with turquoise and rubies

So how would you style it, since brooches are making such a wonderful comeback?

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!

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

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

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!