‘Can you tell me the history of this piece?’
‘Where did you get this from?’
Questions our antique jewellery specialists get asked every day by those looking to delve into the fascinating history of an antique piece that has caught their eye. By looking at many different aspects, we are often able to piece together the unique story of each jewel.
In many circumstances we know the origin of the stones. Burma, Ceylon, Colombia and Kashmir are some of the renowned old mines whose gemstones feature in our collection. Origin is detectable in coloured gemstones by looking at inclusions through high magnification, and is often supported with a third party certificate.With diamonds, we look at the cut to determine the age and possible origin, with old mine diamonds and earlier cuts hailing from the historic diamond sources of India or Brazil.
Certain metals we see come to prominence in different eras and countries. For example, our ancient pieces are often crafted from a high carat gold that was easier to manipulate with the tools of the day. A mix of gold and silver might indicate a Georgian or Victorian origin, whereas platinum's use in jewellery took off at the start of the Edwardian era.Often by looking at the alloys used, one can also determine the country of creation. For example, the mix of platinum and iridium would suggest an American origin.
When it comes to the piece as a whole, some may feature markings that tell the story of where it originated. Hallmarking differs from country to country. In the UK hallmarking was not a legal requirement until the 1970s, but in cases where these are present, we can determine important information including where the piece was assayed, the year it was made, and the purity of the metal.With hallmarking differing around the world, these marks can also determine where a piece was made or has travelled as many jewels have been stamped with import marks.
Maker’s marks also appear on some pieces of jewellery. These marks can often be attributed to particular jewellers, workshops or jewellery houses. By knowing more about who designed and made a piece, we can delve deeper into its story by looking at the context in which it was created.
On very rare occasions we might know who has owned a piece before, especially if they are someone of great renown. For example, we currently have a piece in our collection from the family of the eminent American author J.D. Salinger, who’s most notable work was The Catcher in the Rye (1951). Another of our early pieces is attributed to the Duchess of Lancaster, and several of our memorial rings feature the names and dates of those they commemorate. However, in many cases we are unable to share the names and details of previous owners.When it comes to our collection of ancient and early jewels, including our array of posy rings, many are interested to know how we have come to acquire them. For these, there are two main sources. The first is from old collections, where these rings were passed down through generations and then sold to us privately. More commonly, these pieces have been discovered fairly recently by metal detectorists buried in the earth.
In 1997 the Treasure Act came into effect, which meant that any metal detecting finds had to be declared and documented under the Portable Antiquities Scheme. Managed by the British Museum and National Museum Wales, this encourages the recording of archaeological objects found by members of the public in England and Wales. Every year thousands of archaeological objects are discovered, and finds recorded with the scheme help advance our knowledge of history and archaeology.We have within our collection, several pieces unearthed after 1997 which are accompanied by such documentation which often details where it was unearthed, providing fascinating insight to jewels from a bygone era.With so much history and heritage to uncover with every piece, our specialists would be delighted to welcome you to the showroom to explore these age old tales in person.
You can often determine origin by looking at the inclusions within a stone.
Hallmarks can usually tell us where a piece was assayed, the year it was made, and the purity of the metal.
We rarely know the full provenance of a piece as these details can get lost over time.
A maker’s mark can tell us which jeweller, workshop or jewellery house created the piece in question.
Significant finds are reported under the Portable Antiquities Scheme, where they are recorded and catalogued, with museums given the opportunity to acquire them if they wish, This scheme is managed by the British Museum and National Museum Wales.
