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Vintage Stick Pins and Tie Pins April 15 2015

A tie pin, also known as a stick pin is used to secure neck ties and cravats in place. Originally popular at the beginning of the 19th century to hold ties and cravats of silk, satin and lace in place the stick pin became an essential for keeping the expensive fabrics in place. 

Stick pins were frequently designed specifically for their owners using pearls, diamonds and other precious gemstones set in precious metals. Stick pin designs include horse shoes, hunting horns, shields, bugs and many other decorative styles. 

The stick pin has had a resurgence with popular figures including the Duke of Cambridge Prince William and his brother Prince harry choosing to secure their ties with a stylish stick pin.

The tie pin and tie bars are another stylish way to secure a neck tie in place. The bars slide onto the side of a tie securing it to the placket of a shirt. Tour de France and Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins has been frequently seen wearing a stick pin to secure his ties in place and chose to wear a tie bar when knighted by HM The Queen. The ever stylish David Beckham is another who chooses to wear a tie bar as a great accessory. 

Vintage Fine Jewellery stock a great selection of vintage stick pins and tie pins. Many stick pins in our collection are antique pins that use colourful gemstones in unique settings. We also stock a collection of the ever popular single freshwater pearl together with clusters of seed pearls, very classic styles that just never go out of fashion, but are difficult to find on the high street. 

 


Hallmarked Silver, Gold & Platinum February 09 2015

The hallmark on vintage silver, gold and platinum allows the year and the location of it’s testing for purity to be identified.

 The vast majority, but certainly not all, fine jewellery and silverware produced in England, Ireland and Scotland over the last 500 years has been hallmarked. A hallmark will identify the metal, the grade of purity and which assay office undertook the tests. There are several assay offices where a metal can be tested, these offices are regulated by the government and each has it’s own symbol to identify it. The ‘standard mark’ identifies which part of England the assay office is situated. England has a walking lion, Dublin has a crowned harp, Edinburgh a standing lion and Glasgow a thistle. In addition to standard marks, town marks identify where the assay office is located.

The date of the piece can be identified by a date letter. As there are only 20 letters used, a combination of font used (upper and lower case) and the shield it is within, can accurately identify the date the mark was made. It is not essential, but often a makers mark will also be included in the hallmark. This mark is used to identify who made the piece of silver. These marks can be useful for being able to accurately indentify the maker of a piece of antique silverware of vintage silverware.

Vintage silver is ever popular as it has a timeless elegance. Silver napkin rings remain in demand and candelabra highly sought after. Antique and vintage silver has seen a rise in popularity following the ‘Downton Abbey effect,’ where fine silver is now the norm at dinner parties and celebrations.


Garnet Jewellery January 22 2015

The red garnet has been a favourite of jewel lovers throughout history featuring in many pieces from both Roman and Egyptian civilizations where rings were used for ceremonial purposes by the ruling elite. The stones had their heyday in the Victorian era when dark gems were very popular, together with jet and pyrite.

Over two decades ago, Southerbys auctioned jewels from The Jackie Kennedy Onassis estate. A cabochon cut garnet set into a flower brooch reached over $100,00 dollars.

Garnets remain jewellery box classics. Jewellers continue to create spectacular modern pieces including classic stud earrings and intricate drop earrings, fabulous necklaces. Perfect for wearing with stunning vintage cocktail rings with large vibrant coloured stones in exquisite settings. Vintage jewellery is great for making a sophisticated statement as many pieces are unique and highly desirable.

Garnet is the birthstone of January and is believed to mean perseverance, truth and patience. Antique garnet jewellery makes a perfect present for friends and loved ones.


Vintage & Antique Christening Silver January 18 2015

Silver is a classic Christening gift and has been gifted to babies and children for centuries. Often given by godparents and friends of the family, silver was originally given as a nest egg as it retains its value. The gift of silver was intended to fund a project later in life.

 During the Tudor period it was very fashionable to give apostle spoons as gifts in wealthier families. The 12 silver spoons were decorated with one apostle to the end of each spoon. Those from even wealthier families would receive a additional spoon known as the master spoon, which was decorated with a figure of Jesus. The phrase, “Born with a silver spoon in his mouth,” is thought to have originated from the custom of giving spoons as a christening gift as only wealthy children would be gifted silver spoons.

The Victorians continued the tradition of gifting silver at the Christening of a child but widened the Christening gift haul to include silver napkin rings, mugs, jewel boxes and quite frankly anything beautiful and silver.

A silver Christening gift remains to be a popular choice that can become a family heirloom that will be treasured for many generations. It is becoming increasingly popular to gift vintage and antique silver as Christening gifts. Vintage and antique silverware can be more personal as pieces can be more desirable for being unique. Many pieces are already highly collectable making them a very secure investment for the future.

 


Vintage & Antique Cufflinks May 24 2014

Vintage Fine Jewellery stock a wide range of vintage and antique cuff links in yellow gold, rose gold, white gold and silver. All of our cufflinks are genuine antique and vintage pieces from the Victorian and Edwardian periods, together with the Jazz age of the 1920s.

There are many new and modern cufflinks available that simply cannot compete with the nostalgia and intrinsic value of vintage cufflinks. There is something very special about the craftsmanship that has created the vintage cufflink by hand, making them more desirable than modern machine manufactured cufflinks.

There is also no doubt that vintage cufflinks are timelessly stylish. Cufflinks have a great history for being a personal gift. Mrs Wallis Simpson wrote ‘Hold Tight’ on the back of a set of diamond cufflinks in 1935 when her affair with King Edward VIII was a secret and their marriage still two tricky years away. The cufflinks were auctioned together with a collection of fabulous dazzling jewels owned by Wallis Simpson and the Duke of Windsor.

Antique cufflinks are a great way to add individual style and tailored suit. 


About Vintage Fine Jewellery May 03 2014

Vintage Equestrian specialize in fine vintage and antique jewellery. With over 30 years experience with fine antique jewellery, the jeweler at Vintage Equestrian maintains exceptionally high standards. We source vintage jewellery, originally created with great care and attention by hand, often several decades ago.

Sometimes vintage jewellery we source has become damaged or worn with time, but the original beauty remains. We are fortunate to have highly skilled jewelers at our London workshop where pieces can be restored with great care, attention, and pride, using precious stones and metals original to the piece. Each piece is repaired by hand and cleaned to a standard often making the jewellery appear new and unworn. We appreciate the intrinsic value in antique jewellery and would like it to be enjoyed for many years and passed between generations of families.


Vintage Cocktail Rings November 17 2013

Cocktail rings are undeniably chic and incredibly glamorous. A fabulous ring can make a big statement, and change an outfit in a wave of a hand. Cocktail rings are always fun and stylish to wear and can glamour to any look.

During the American prohibition of the 1920’s cocktail rings became high fashion at illegal cocktail parties. Ladies would attend parties looking incredibly stylish flashing their colourful dress rings. The rings became a status symbol for the ladies who wore them. The appeal of the cocktail ring certainly has remained. First Lady Michelle Obama wore a spectacular diamond cocktail ring on inauguration night whilst dancing with husband Barak, a ring Michelle has worn many times since with great style.

Whilst there are stylish new designs on the market, vintage cocktail rings are quite spectacular. Usually only available as one off’s, these vintage rings have stood the test of time and continue to add style and glamour to any outfit. Many vintage dress ring designs have become style classics and remain contemporary, despite having been created decades ago.

Vintage Fine Jewellery hold a fabulous collection of vintage cocktail rings and vintage dress rings of gemstones in a spectacular array of colours and cuts, set in platinum, yellow gold and rose gold. The collection includes a beautiful sapphire and diamond rub-over set ring from the 1930’s, a very enviable 23.3 cts citrine surrounded by 1.20 cts of diamonds ring from the 1960’s and cabochon cut sapphire from the 1930’s to name only a few. These fabulous gems have such a history behind them and continue to sparkle into the future.