If you went up to my attic today, you would find, well, not that much because I live in a block of flats and don’t actually have one. However, if I did, you would likely come across a suitcase with a missing wheel and Christmas decorations arranged by colour. What you would not find is an exceptional collection of antique and vintage jewellery — but that’s exactly what one Worcestershire family had stashed away in theirs for decades.
The treasure trove was rediscovered during a routine clear out and spans more than two centuries of jewellery design. The majority, though, is Art Deco in design, and highlights include a Cartier diamond bow and Egyptian Revival diamond brooches. The former, crafted in yellow gold and silver and set throughout with old-cut and rose-cut stones, dates to 1905.
The collection in its entirety is going under the hammer on Wednesday October 21 with Elmwood's.
'It is rare to encounter such a fine and cohesive selection of jewels from this period that has remained together,’ Joe Kendrick, head of sales at Elmwood’s auctioneers, says, ‘allowing us to appreciate the collection as a whole, rather than as individual pieces.’
An elaborate Edwardian diamond devant-de-corsage (also known as a stomacher) and a menagerie of Victorian-era animal brooches (below) are among the other intriguing items. Think a charging bull in silver and yellow gold with a ruby eye, a donkey, partridge, fox, greyhound and, somewhat more bizarrely, a sea gull. Animal motif jewellery was hugely popular in the 19th century, reflecting the Victorian people’s passion for nature, symbolism and the decorative arts. As in floriography — the Victorian tradition of using flowers to communicate secret messages, emotions, and declarations that were too intimate or improper to say aloud — animals were used to convey qualities such as strength, courage and loyalty.
The whimsical collection was started by the grandmother of the present owners. Subsequent members of the family are believed to have added to it, charting 200 years of changing jewellery tastes and design as they went. The total pre-sale estimate is £150,000.
Visit the Elmwood's website for more information and to bid.