Investing in jewellery, perhaps more than any other art form, is the most personal and satisfying; affording the collector an expression of their most intimate taste. Whether used for personal adornment or collected for investment purposes there is a huge choice of materials, designs and stylistic periods to choose from.
From the early craftsmen working with crude implements and limited supply of materials, to modern-day designer jewellery, it has always been a world of exacting craftsmanship and timeless treasures. Goldsmiths, silversmiths and designers creating elegant and stylish pieces that display their customers’ refined and discerning taste.
Some of these companies were formed in the 19th century and their business still thrives today; think Tiffany 1837, Cartier 1847, Boucheron 1858 and Faberge 1870. 20th-century masters include Graff, Van Cleef and Arpels, Buccelati, Bulgari, Harry Winston and Verdura.
Unlike jewellery, silver is more static in nature and thanks to a near 700-year unbroken history that is the great British Hallmarking System, it is easy to attribute and date-specific work with craftsmen, workshops or designers. A display of silver transforms the ambience of a room playing with light and reflections and creating a splendid backdrop.
For some, it is the British style and elegance of Georgian workshops with the craftsmen Paul de Lamerie, Nicholas Sprimont, George Wicks and Paul Storr that appeals. For others, it is the more ostentatious, sometimes oriental influenced work of the later designers like Dr. Christopher Dresser, Archibald Knox or Omar Ramsden.
Whatever your taste, our jewellery expert will be able to advise you. He has over 25 years experience and is a certified gemmologist so can validate the array of different quality gemstones, synthetics and simulants and advise on the repolishing, repair, restoration and recutting of gemstones.
Our silver specialist is an expert and published authority on the Huguenot silver of the late 17th and early 18th centuries with a particular knowledge on the work of Pierre Harache.