GEMOLOGUE CHRISTMAS RECEPTION AND ANTIQUE “BUGS AND BUTTERFLIES” JEWELLERY PRESENTATION WITH SANDRA CRONAN
Christmas is the perfect time for hosting an antique jewellery and champagne party, especially if it’s an exclusive GEMOLOGUE pre-Christmas event with Sandra Cronan, one of London’s leading antique jewellery specialist in 17th to 20th Century jewellery. Thank you for joining us!
I love the idea of antique jewellery at Christmas time – you can’t beat the price points and the craftsmanship is unparalleled. Sandra captured my heart when I collaborated with Harper’s Bazaar at the LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair. So for the second year in a row, we’re in London, Mayfair, at the studio showroom of Sandra Cronan to see her most recent curation of antique jewels.
You’re going to love this collection of “Bugs and butterflies” and I can’t wait to share more antique jewellery with you in the New Year.
It’s been a challenging year, but I’m looking forward to 2017 and what it will bring! Merry Christmas my dear jewellery lovers! Even spiders have a certain appeal when they’re wrapped in jewels! Take a look at these two spider brooches perched on my shoulder (above). They’re French, circa 1880s. One has a citrine abdomen and both are set with pavé diamonds.
FANCY COLOURED DIAMOND, RUBY, SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND SET BUTTERFLY. CIRCA 1880
The GEMOLOGUE Champagne Reception started at 7 p.m., followed by an exclusive presentation by Sandra Cronan at 8 p.m. She spoke about an incredible private collection of bejewelled butterflies and bugs she had recently acquired, and as soon as I heard the words – antique butterfly jewellery – my own wings fluttered a little. Butterflies are one of my favourite motifs in jewellery, but I’m sure you’ve already guessed that!
This unique, antique bug and butterfly collection is near and dear to Sandra’s heart and is the result of 30 years of collecting by her dear friend, a prominent Swiss banker. Each piece was loved and worn by his wife and Sandra was there on many occasion, helping them find the perfect piece with old cut diamonds to amass this one-of-a-kind collection.
Over the centuries, the imaginations of jewellery designers everywhere have been captivated with the colour and shapes of butterflies and other insects. Many have experimented with different techniques and created many beautiful specimens for us all to enjoy. For instance, ‘en tremblant’ is a technique that makes the wings softly flutter when the design is worn. Bugs and butterflies are such an alluring motif that you see them again and again throughout the history of jewellery.
Now take a look at my curation of favourites from Sandra Cronan’s showroom. You’ll see some rare examples, such as pink topaz, and matte enamelled butterfly brooches. The pieces in this collection range in price from £1000 to several hundred thousand pounds. I highly recommend these collectable pieces as a worthwhile investment for Christmas. Plus you can wear them as a brooch or pendant or as a hair clip, if you dare!
LARGE DRAGONFLY BROOCH SET WITH RUBIES AND DIAMONDS, WITH ROSE DIAMONDS TO THE WINGS. FRENCH, CIRCA 1890
SELECTION OF VICTORIAN SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND SET BUGS, CIRCA 1870
PLATINUM AND PAVE DIAMOND SET BUTTERFLY, CIRCA 1900
RUBY, DIAMOND, EMERALD, SAPPHIRE AND NATURAL PEARL SET BUTTERFLY, CIRCA 1870
SELECTION OF DIAMOND AND NATURAL PEARL BUGS, CIRCA 1870
PIERCED-WORK DIAMOND, RUBY AND EMERALD SET BUTTERFLY. CIRCA 1890
GEORGIAN CANNETILLE WORK AND PINK TOPAZ SET BUTTERFLY BROOCH. ENGLISH CIRCA 1820
BLUE ENAMELLED BUTTERFLY, CIRCA 1900
TWO FINE MATTE ENAMELLED AND DIAMOND EDGED NATURALISTICALLY MODELLED BUTTERFLIES. CIRCA 1895
Thanks for stopping by. Which piece is your favourite? Leave me a message in the comments below.
SHOP THE LOOK:
I am extremely happy to announce that my new jewelry book – GEMOLOGUE: Street Jewellery Styles & Styling Tips – is now on Amazon. I’m so excited. It’s the first book of its kind solely dedicated to jewellery.
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GEMOLOGUE jewelry blog by Liza Urla is a celebration of fine, fashion and vintage jewellery featuring talented jewellery designers, trendy urban street style, exclusive interviews and rare jewellery reviews. This jewellery blog’s goal is to encourage and educate about jewellery online in a fresh and original fashion to inspire women and men across the globe in a fashion and travelling context.
Jewellery blogger, writer Liza Urla, the founder of GEMOLOGUE, is a London-based and NYC-educated gemologist, who has travelled to and lived in many countries. She is now one of the most influential digital jewellery tastemakers. Her jewellery influence has been acknowledged by Financial Times, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.
*Photographed by Julia Flit. Styling and Art Direction by Liza Urla. All photos belong to GEM Kreatives for GEMOLOGUE.
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