Antique treasures at Cape Town’s Jewel Tree

I hope you all had a lovely Early May Bank Holiday on Monday and it is just wonderful to be back here on the blog with you!

Now, I have been wanting to bring you this post for a long time and we are finally here.  On my latest trip to sunny Cape Town I spent numerous hours in my favourite antique jewellery shop, Jewel Tree.  As always, they had the most exquisite collection on display – everything from dazzling pieces of antique jewellery to their own designs:

Art Deco style diamond ring, new design reusing antique diamonds at Jewel Tree in Cape Town

They design their own pieces by reusing antique cut diamonds, above in the Art Deco taste: a handmade 18ct white gold setting with mille grain set diamonds in an intricate fretwork setting, the center stone is an old Victorian cut diamond, surrounded by six smaller old cuts as well as a further two smaller diamonds and framed with thirty six old cut diamonds – a total diamond weight of 1,9ct.  

A nine stone diamond ring of flower head design

I was not surprised to find that this beauty has now been sold, but we can still admire the stunning design where nine stones create a flower with a combined diamond weight of 1,45cts.  It is set in 18ct gold, the shank is done in yellow gold and the setting finished in white gold.  Swoon!

Antique ring with sapphires and diamonds

So if you are looking for an engagement ring, this is the place to go!  You can choose to get yours designed just the way you want it, or you can pick a piece that has stood the test of time and that sparkles at you with all its brilliance – 100 or so years after it was initially made.

 

Stunning antique silver cocktail shaker and glasses

We were also drawn to the silver pieces in the shop, for example this stunning cocktail shaker with a set of matching glasses – if it was good enough for Gatsby it is good enough for me!

Antique pipe case in silver

One of my favourite thing when it comes to antiques is discovering all kinds of unexpected items!  For example this case in silver where you can see the contour of a pipe – simply a must for all the fashionable gentlemen back in the days!  The pipe case was actually made for Liberty & Co, and one of the two pipes in the case has an amber mouth piece and is marked Liberty & Co on the pipe, with a silver hallmarked collar, and the other is a modern replacement pipe.

Antique fan shaped silver box with hinged cover, made by Walker & Hall, Chester 1901

Antique fan shaped silver box with hinged cover, made by Walker & Hall, Chester 1901

The beautiful interior with its original rich gilding

… not to mention this antique fan shaped silver box with a gilded interior!  These are the most perfect things to give away as a present to someone who already has everything.

Ca 1920s bracelet from Jewel Tree in Cape Town

… and I was just beyond thrilled to have this exquisite silver bracelet, which we think is an American piece from the 20’s.  I will make sure to post a photo very soon, when I am wearing it with one of my favourite dresses – I can’t wait!

A huge thank you to Jewel Tree for having us and we will keep an eye on your Facebook-page where so many of us keep falling in love with all the beautiful pieces that you post!

Stunning treasures at Jewel Tree in Cape Town

Today I would like to introduce you to my favourite antique jewellery shop in Cape Town – Jewel Tree.  Whenever I visit this shop, I end up spending at least an hour in there, listening to the fascinating stories that the dealers have to tell, and admiring their most extraordinary treasures.  They have everything from Victorian bracelets to dazzling Tanzanite earrings to Art Deco diamond rings… the list goes on!

Come along dear, let’s take a closer look:

Such an exquisite design – and gold always looks so regal with red stones… garnets and rubies in particular! 

Victorian gold bangle with diamonds and rubies

The condition of these old pieces is just extraordinary: they are over a hundred years old, yet they still shine and sparkle as if they were made yesterday.  I love losing myself in this sea of gold, rubies, garnets, pearls, diamonds and imagining what these pieces have been through during all these years.  It is so interesting to learn about all these extraordinary details – like little lockets that open up and reveal a secret compartment, old photos of someone’s loved ones and clever little hinges and designs that makes so much sense once someone explains their purpose!

Oh my favourite combination of gold and pearls make up this stunning bracelet

My favourite antique piece was a gold locket from London that opened up and contained a very small piece of cloth, which used to be scented about a hundred years ago.  The wearer would open the locket and sniff the little cloth whenever the smells from the streets of London would be too gruesome!  How clever indeed – it shows how inventive people are how designs change through times to suit our lifestyles.

Stunning antique Tanzanite rings

Above we have two absolutely glorious tanzanite rings with diamonds – love the design and the incredible sparkle!  We will look closer at Tanzanite in another post, as it is such a beautiful gemstone but apparently it is running out!  I do however keep running into the most extraordinary Tanzanite jewellery in South Africa, and it is such a treat to be able to show them to you.

Adore this collection of earrings… contemporary in antique style, and really affordable – maybe a Christmas present for your lady? *hint* *hint* 

They also have a range of contemporary jewellery that are made in antique style – Edwardian, Victorian, Art Deco etc.  The designs are so beautiful as you can see above and below, and since they do not contain for example diamonds, they stay within a very reasonable price bracket; yet they look like they should cost at least ten times their price!

Well guess who these drop down earrings went home with?  I just couldn’t resist the stunning design: the blue topaz center stones are so beautifully highlighted by the sparkling cubic zirconias 

Aside from the jewellery they also do other decorative pieces: a set of six matcing Russian silver-gilt enameled teaspoons, marked 84 c.1895.  

They also have a stunning collection of antique china…

Not to mention their wonderful collection of silver!

... and this young lady keeps the shop in order!

I can’t wait to visit them again in February, and if you want to see more of their stunning designs you can check out their Facebook page by clicking here.

Did you have any favourites in the collection above?  We would love to hear your thoughts!