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?

‘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!

The Victorian Carved Half Hoop Ring

An extraordinary original Victorian half hoop ring with sapphires and diamonds, this one is from Richard Ogden

Good morning dearest, I hope you had a lovely weekend in the sunshine!  Gosh this spring is really taking its time, and it has more than once made me think of a poem by the Swedish author Karin Boye:

Ja visst gör det ont när knoppar brister.
Varför skulle annars våren tveka?
Varför skulle all vår heta längtan
bindas i det frusna bitterbleka?
Höljet var ju knoppen hela vintern.
Vad är det för nytt, som tär och spränger?
Ja visst gör det ont när knoppar brister,
ont för det som växer
och det som stänger.

– Karin Boye

 Yes, of course it hurts when buds are breaking.
Why else would the springtime falter?
Why would all our ardent longing
bind itself in frozen, bitter pallor?
After all, the bud was covered all the winter.
What new thing is it that bursts and wears?
Yes, of course it hurts when buds are breaking,
hurts for that which grows
and that which bars.

 

And now it is time to move over to jewellery!  I have been showing my clients quite a few carved Victorian half hoop rings lately and thought that we should take a closer look today:

Victorian three stone half hoop ring in yellow gold at Richard Ogden

A side-view of the ring, with the carvings clearly visible   

A collection of three stone half hoop rings at Richard Ogden – you can see how the designs vary, in everything from the cut or shape of the diamonds, to the width and design of the mounts 

Victorian craftsmen started designing carved half hoop rings in the 1880s and they would either be worn as engagement rings or presented as gifts at the birth of a baby.  The rings came with three, five or seven stones, and featured either all diamonds, or all rubies/sapphires/emeralds, or alternating diamonds and these coloured precious stones.  Women would build up a nice collection of the rings, often with one in each colour: red, blue, green and white.

A beautiful sapphire and diamond ring, with little rose diamond points in between the larger gemstones

And a side view of the Victorian sapphire and diamond half hoop ring 

Mr Alastair Norman from Harvey & Gore mentioned that today Victorian half hoop rings would make excellent engagement rings, as they sit perfectly next to a wedding ring.  He also emphasised what wonderful quality coloured stones you can find in the early Victorian half hoop rings, the exquisite blue sapphire above here being the perfect example.

The rings would also feature little rose diamond points (in other words tiny diamonds in a rose cut) in between the bigger stones – you can see them in the photo above: tiny little fractions of a diamond at the foot of the sapphire and the diamond.

A Victorian-style half hoop ring with seven diamonds

The ring above belongs to one of my colleagues, Mrs C, who was kind enough to share it and its history with us today.  It is a seven diamond Victorian-style carved half hoop ring (that is a mouthful!) that was given to her grandmother as an engagement ring circa 1918.  It is quite rare to see a seven stone ring, and when her grandmother received it she was told by her fiancée that it represented Seven Days of Joy – how wonderful indeed!

Mrs C’s grandfather was a Master Baker on one of the merchant ships during the First World War.  After the war he became a baker and quite a successful one, because at one point he was running three bakeries!  Mrs C told me that the family lived in the bakery, and at one point the engagement ring went missing “as one of the members of staff had pinched it!”  They managed to get it back though, and it was eventually passed down through generations, always to the youngest daughter in the family, which is why it now belongs to her.

And just for our curiosity: the single diamond ring that Mrs C is wearing in the photo above was her mother’s engagement ring, who got married in 1960.  According to her mother and father the ring was brand new at that point, but we are both convinced that it is an older ring, because it features a beautiful old cut diamond in a 1920/30s setting.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this Victorian design; could you imagine wearing one of these as an engagement ring?  What attracts you to it, and what doesn’t?

A Travelling Tiara from the 1830s

Early 19th century tiara at Richard Ogden

This is a ca 200 year old tiara that I found while rummaging through in the secret cabinet at Richard Ogden.  Robert Ogden told me the story behind it and also why it is referred to as a “Travelling Tiara”:

Antique 19th century tiara at Richard Ogden

The wealthy ladies in the 18th and 19th century didn’t want to bring their diamond-set jewellery along on long horse drawn carriage-journeys, so they had the workshops design identical pieces in paste (glass) that they could safely carry along on their travels.  This tiara is a wonderful piece of history, which has stayed in such great condition, despite having almost 200 years on its shoulders:

Travelling Tiara ca 1830s at Richard Ogden in the Burlington Arcade

In the 1700s Bohemian glassmakers’ designs were the most sought after in Europe, and they had just surpassed the once unrivalled Venetian glassmakers in skill and design.  Their designs were like works pieces of art, mirroring precious stones so perfectly (1) and it became common practice for all the great jewellers to sell paste jewellery alongside their precious pieces.  Even royalty – for example Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Queen Anne, the wife of James I, the first Duchess of Marlborough and Henri IV of France – owned paste jewellery (2).

In 1869 the following statement could be found in Queen magazine:

“If the profession or career of the husband requires that his wife should go much into society on a small income, she would be perfectly justified in wearing imitations to save money… it cannot be wrong for a lady who cannot afford and has not inherited them to wear a moderate amount of paste.”  

The article added that she should not give the impression that her “jewels” were of any value.

Antique 19th century tiara at Richard Ogden

The designs were very clever, which we can see in this little beauty: it can be taken apart and turned into a brooch and a smaller tiara/headpiece.  You can see the mechanism at the back in the photos above and below here:

The tiara comes apart and splits into various other pieces

… it can be worn as a lovely brooch… 

… and as a smaller tiara!  A girl can never have too many tiaras, right?

Eventually, in the mid-2oth century costume jewellery was made popular on its own, by various designers, and high as well as low priced brands would become renowned names in costume jewellery; Crown Trifari, Dior, Chanel, Miriam Haskell and Monet.  I am pleased to say that we have had the pleasure of encountering designs from quite a few of these previously on the blog!

Sources:

(1) The Legend of Bohemian Glass: A Thousand Years of Glassmaking in the Heart,
by Antonín Langhamer

(2) How to spend it – the real appeal of paste jewellery 

Antique Jewellery Heaven at Richard Ogden and Moira Jewels

With Christmas season upon us I have been having far too much fun playing around with the jewellery in the shop, so I thought I would give you a little sneak peek into what I got up to last week:

21ct diamond necklace from Tiffany & Co at Moira Jewels

Eeeeeh just a little something I threw on!  This is the most stunning diamond necklace from Tiffany’s, which belongs to Moira Jewels at Richard Ogden.  Fit for any old Christmas party I say!  Next time you walk through the Burlington Arcade, do make sure to peek into our windows at Richard Ogden – the centre one is extra prominent at the moment with a glorious selection of Moira’s jewellery!

Close up on the Tiffany diamond necklace…

… and then I may have found my way to our pink window…

Pink sapphire and diamond rings from Richard Ogden

Oopsy!  I couldn’t help myself.  On the far left you can see a five stone Garnet gold ring.  Five graduated oval almandine garnets are set with rose cut diamond points and it is all mounted in a Victorian style carved claw setting in yellow gold.

Next to it you can see a HUGE purple Tourmaline and diamond cluster ring, where the tourmaline is cabochon cut and surrounded by a single row of brilliant cut diamonds.  

One my ring finger I am wearing a Tourmaline (7.03 carats!) and diamond cluster ring.  Such a sweet design which I know will woo a few of you.  I just love cluster rings by the way, and I believe that Diana – and now Kate Middleton’s sapphire and diamond cluster ring has eternalised the design.  I get so many people coming in to look at cluster rings, and mainly the sapphire and diamond ones – understandably!  

Continuing on to the far right, you can see my very favourite ring in the whole shop: the Star Ruby whose acquaintance we made in the blog post: A Star Ruby Romance.  It is just such an extraordinary design and I can’t wait to see who ends up buying it!

Sooo that was an enjoyable way of finishing off my Friday afternoon and I can’t wait to go back in again tomorrow to see what new (old) pieces I will have to try on!

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!