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

Cheeky leopard finds a home

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Vintage-style leopard bracelet

Hmm… there is something terribly familiar about the bracelet above…

Cartier style bracelet

Oh yes, you might recognise this as one of our favourite bracelets – the Cartier-style leopard from Portobello Market!  He has found such a loving home and will now be worn around London by one of the most stylish ladies I know.  She often features as my model here on the blog and with her incredibly edgy and spot-on sense of style she will be able to carry off this lovely piece just the way it deserves!

Leopard bracelet from Portobello Market

I was considering making the bracelet smaller, as you can see it is rather wide.  My friend K however pointed out how beautifully drapes down over her hand and becomes a piece of hand jewellery as well, with that cheeky little paw stretching down to the left in the photo above.

I am absolutely delighted that the two have become a match and I can promise you that I will be on the lookout for similar pieces, as it is all about the statements pieces now ladies!

What do you think about statement jewellery?  Do you prefer dainty pieces or massive bling like above?

Your Secret Jewellery Collection – the Before and After-chapter

Today’s secret jewellery collection has been sent in by a young lady who has recently moved house, which means that we are being treated to the before and after photos of the treasure trove:

The before-photo of her collection…

Above is a shot of her old collection, where some paintings by Helene Schjerfbeck (1862-1946) can be seen in the background.  Helene is one of the most important Nordic artists and was an artistic child prodigy; she was accepted as a drawing student at the Finnish Art Society in 1873 at the age of eleven, which was a full five years younger than the average student.

The national gallery of Finland, Ateneum Art Museum, are giving us a very interesting background on Helene if you are keen to read a bit more.  I have also been looking up some of her works in connection with writing this post, and completely fallen in love with Dancing Shoes, 1882.  Have a look online and let me know what you think of her paintings – did you find a favourite?

… and after-photo number one…

And here are the after shots of the jewellery collection!  I love how the tones go so well together and makes it all look incredibly elegant.  We have already dipped our toes in the beautiful land of Iittala-design, and we are now continuing down this path, as today we are presented with this lovely Iittala Vitriini jewellery box and the Mariskooli.

Since Iittala Vitriini come in different sizes you can keep everything from small earrings and rings to bigger bracelets and necklaces in them – you can also easily match the colours as you wish within the collection.  The same goes for Mariskooli, although my favourite size is the one you can see above, the Mariskooli 15.5.cm, as it is the only one that fits all of my lovely necklaces – and clearly this young lady agrees.  The beautiful gold mirror is from an antique market and the metal case is from Spitalfields Market.

… and after-photo number two!

We can also see a few Chanel perfumes above, which I think is a lovely choice as perfumes by your jewellery make the collection look even more beautiful and elegant.  My thoughts are immediately drawn to 1920’s dressing tables with the big mirrors, pump perfume bottles, jewellery and make up.

And while we are on the topic: the one thing we have learnt is not to allow any perfume to go onto the jewellery, as it makes the metals go dull.  So always put your makeup and perfume on before your jewellery – just like our grandmothers did – and it will remain beautiful for a long long time.

So thank you so much dear for sharing your beautiful collection with us – I am sure that today’s post will inspire some of you to revamp your jewellery corners!

Our previous Your Secret Jewellery Collection posts can be found here, in case you have missed out on any of them.