Jewellery

2004 is shaping up well for arts publishing, and publishers of books which cover the genre also reported excellent sales last year, particularly in the run-up to Christmas. Here, the Antiques Trade Gazette takes a look at some of the books on offer this year, many of which will be reviewed.

A MASKED gang took a substantial quantity of antique jewellery during a robbery at the Petersfield Antiques Fair held at the Festival Hall in the town from February 6-8.

THIS year is the centenary of the foundation of the Georg Jensen silversmith workshop in Copenhagen, and to mark the anniversary the international Jensen specialists The Silver Fund hold an exhibition devoted to the work of one of the most renowned designers of the Jensen firm, Henning Koppel (1918-1981).

THE close of 2003 gave us much information on the current market in 18th-19th century cameos with more than 130 examples on offer between two European auction rooms, one in the UK, the other in Italy.

THE country’s premier dedicated trade jewellery show International Jewellery London has appointed Alison Marshall as their new organising manager.

Starting to Collect Antique Jewellery by John Benjamin, published by the Antique Collectors Club. ISBN 1851494073 £12.50hb

Sotheby’s, who have continued the tradition of separate works of art sales rather than combining them with Continental furniture, were actually able to serve up a double helping in December. Their usual mixed-owner offering on the 12th was preceded by a separately catalogued single-owner sale, called Treasures from the Rothschild Collection, of cameos and other antique jewels, gold boxes, silver-gilt, Limoges enamels and other objects made of precious materials.

Two historic, finely carved Mughal emeralds were the highlights of Christie’s Arts of India sale in London on September 24. Topping the bill was a 17th century wine cup made from a 408.5ct carved emerald mounted in gold and enamel that sold to a Middle Eastern buyer on the phone for £1.6m (plus 19.5/12% buyer’s premium).

Costume Jewellery by Judith Miller with John Wainwright, published by Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 1405300140 £20hb (pub. date October 2).

The fastest growing area of the jewellery market, mourning apparel has become “hot property in the past 12 months”, says Jethro Marles of Bearne’s. Pointedly excepting the sort of heavy black jewellery produced in large quantities during the post-Albert period, he says that the material that has doubled in value over the past year is the earlier, more delicate mourning jewellery of the sort shown right.

20th Century Jewellery: the Complete Sourcebook by John Peacock, published by Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0500510830. £24.95hb

Charles Horner of Halifax: A Celebration of his Life and Work by Tom J Lawson, published by GML Publishing, Leicester, distributed by the Antique Collectors’ Club Ltd., Sandy Lane, Old Martlesham, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 4SD. ISBN 0954235401 £45hb

Novelty pieces and collector’s items like this Art Nouveau enamelled silver double-photograph locket, right, were the pieces mainly in demand at the silver and jewellery sale held by Fellows (15% buyer’s premium) at Birmingham on September 5.

THERE was no notable furniture in Mallams 495-lot sale on August 28 (buyer's premium: 15 per cent), but a healthy selling rate for silver and jewellery and some good prices for an assortment of oddities and decorative entries, boosted overall figures.

Les Ecosses have always had a certain cachet in France and it was the Parisian jewellers Chaumet who, in the 1950s, made this brooch, right, in the form of bagpipes, the naturally dimpled baroque pearl used imaginatively as the bag, the pipes adorned by single cut diamonds and turquoise stones. At Sotheby’s Gleneagles sale it sold to a Scottish private bidder at £4000.

THE first industry-wide survey of the secondhand jewellery market puts the value of trade at several hundred million pounds a year.

Sotheby’s announcement of the discovery of a cache of Nelson memorabilia that has been hidden away for almost 200 years has generated huge media interest.

WITH little in the way of furniture at this 1000-lot Essex sale at Ambrose on 17-18 May it was left to jewellery to provide the higher prices and collectors’ items to provide the wider interest.

Jewellery and silver enthusiasts were catered for in Ireland as well as Wiltshire during April as private buyers flocked to O’Reilly’s (15 per cent buyer’s premium) sale of gemstones and silver in Dublin on April 10.

“It was like the 1970s all over again,” said John Benjamin of Woolley and Wallis, describing the breadth of quality at his jewellery sale in Salisbury on April 24-25.