Eleanor and I feel as though it is important to pay tribute to the makers and also say thank you to our customers, many of whom are fellow collectors. We like to create new historical fact packs for each subsequent sale, so that we are not duplicating information when the same customer purchases another piece from the same maker.
Traditionally these silver pieces were hand carved & the niello was created by baking 50% sulphur, copper, silver & lead which forms the black enamel like coating on this silver accessory. These materials would be heated to very high temperatures to form a coating for the silver. The items would then be engraved again. Nielloware was particularly popular in the 13th & 15th centuries but very few pieces from these times survive. The process to produce nielloware is quite demanding as you can imagine. Nielloware pieces are often made from high grade silver. Nielloware has a huge following. The history of this genre is particularly interesting as Siam niello tells a story of an epic adventure, The Ramayana.
The answer is silver! Some people interpret this to be a gift which is the colour silver but the recipient is likely to know that a gift made from solid silver is what is traditionally given for the 25th (silver) anniversary. Imagine a wife receiving a gift from her husband after a quarter of a century of matrimony to discover that it is silver coloured instead of hallmarked silver!
This post will answer these questions:
When did seed pearl jewellery become popular?
How do seed pearls differ from other pearls?
Why are they called seed pearls?
Are seed pearls natural?
What colour range do seed pearls have?
Probably the most famous pearl is the world is Le Peregrina. The 500-year-old pearl is pear shaped. Its previous owners included the King of Spain, Napoleon Bonaparte and Elizabeth Taylor. Richard Burton bought Le Peregrina in 1969 as a Valentine’s Day gift for Elizabeth Taylor. He bid $37,000 at auction in which the Spanish royal family were also bidding.
Gueldy was established in 1905 by Messrs. Lelaurin & Sergent. It was situated at 370 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honore in Paris. Monsieur Sergent was also the founder of another concern which manufactured affordable perfumes and cosmetics. This brand was known as Sergy. The business was very successful & the Gueldy brand was highly regarded. In 1925 Gueldy attained the highest accolade possible, winning the gold medal at the 1925 Paris Exhibition. Naturally this fabulous scent and its associated products were sought-after all over the world.
The great Parisian goldsmiths Henin & Cie were born in the nineteenth century. At the heart of the historic city of Paris, the Marais was the noted jewellery quarter.
It was in this locality that the nobility would go to buy luxurious jewellery and items made from high grade silver and gold.
Without doubt Stratton were the most successful brand of British powder compact. The quality of their enamel was clearly superior to the other British brands at the time. Vintage Stratton accessories are highly collectible today and many have proved to be a good investment.
With thanks to the material written by Juliette Edwards in her book The Stratton Identification Key, collectors can say for certain what model is rare, uncommon & common. Coupled with known years of availability it is possible to build a big picture of exactly how rare an item is.
