Jewellery is on show in special exhibitions around the UK: The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge hosts Designers and Jewellery 1850-1940, for example, The Ashmolean has Spellbound: Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft a the Library and Museum of Freemasonry holds Bejewelled: Badges, Brotherhood and Identity. The Royal Collection’s Splendours of the Subcontinent: A Prince’s Tour of India 1875-76 closes this week and features plenty of jewel encrusting.
For those who like to own as well as admire, there are also a host of international events to look forward to and plenty of places to shop.
London: Wartski
Wartski was founded in 1865 and continues to specialise in jewellery, Fabergé pieces, silver and more. This month, it opens its doors at its new St James’s location, having left its previous Mayfair home. The new shop is designed with Tom Bartlett of architecture and interior design firm Waldo Works, which has worked with retailers including Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason in the past. It's a salubrious setting in which to select a new piece of jewellery.
Details: Wartksi, 60 St James’s Street, SW1A 1LE
Enschede, Netherlands: Twents Veilinghuis
Beautiful jewellery is often pricey, but there are beautiful pieces to be had for lower sum too. At its upcoming Art & Antiques auction, Twents Veilinghuis offers more than 500 lots of jewellery, many for three-figure sums, including anything from antique coral necklaces to modern diamond rings.
Details: Twents Veilinghuis, October 12-13
New York: TEFAF New York
TEFAF New York returns for its third edition this month bringing with it 93 exhibitors (10 of which are new) to offer an array of art and antiques at the Park Avenue Armory. With dealers attending from all over the world there is a real mix of items on offer, though all are united by their high quality. The focus is on fine and decorative arts from antiquity to the early 20th century, setting the event apart from its sister fair in the Spring.
Details: TEFAF New York, October 27-31, Park Avenue Armory, New York (Tickets: $55)
Geneva: Christie’s Magnificent Jewels
Face it: hardly anyone has enough tiaras. At Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale on November 13, those with deep pockets have the chance to buy that and much more. The tiara in question was is signed by Cartier, 1912-25 and bears the maker’s mark of Henri Picq, who was one of the firm’s leading designers in the first decades of the 20th century. It was sold in the shop of Robert Koch, who was famous in German for serving the European royal courts, to the heir of the von F family on the occasion of his marriage and remained in the family until 2015. It has an estimate of $350,000-500,000.
Another highlight in the sale is The pink Legacy, described as ‘the largest and finest Fancy Vivid Pink diamond ever offered at a Christie’s auction. It has an estimate of $30m-50m.
Details: Magnificent Jewels, November 13. Christie’s Geneva.
Birmingham: Fellows
An extensive private collection of jewellery from the 1970s goes under the hammer at Fellows this week. It includes several pieces by the celebrated designer Andrew Grima (1921-2007), one of London’s best-known mid-century designers, who had a string of international galleries in places such as Zurich, New York and Tokyo. This piece, an 18ct gold, sapphire and diamond cluster ring by Grima is among the pieces on offer.
Details: Antique and Modern Jewellery, October 11. Fellows, 19 Augusta Street, Birmingham B18 6JA
