Grays July Issue

Dealer Highlight: Van Den Bosch

LAPADA members Van Den Bosch are based in the lower ground floor of Grays. Jan and Carole Van Den Bosch come with a wealth of exquisite stock and expertise. Specialists in fine Silver & Jewellery from the Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Jugendstil and Skonvirke movements they have a beautiful collection of items including enamels, metalware, art, and sometimes furniture.


With rare and one-off
handcrafted items by leading silversmiths, many publications and museums regularly buy and compile information from Van Den Bosch's great source of information and expertise. Some of the artists and designers whose work you can find in Van Den Bosch include C.R Ashbee, Ramsden & Carr, Gilbert Marks, Henry Wilson, A.E. Jones, and the first female silversmith to be recognised in such a male dominated industry Kate Harris. You can visit Van Den Bosch in Stand 123 at Grays or visit their website: www.vandenbosch.co.uk


Antique of the Month:
Pearls

From natural to cultured, freshwater to saltwater, from South Sea to Tahitian, there is a vast variety to the shape, size and origin of pearls. They are however principally formed in the same way; when an irritant (either grit or a type of bead or nucleus) makes its way into a mollusc. As a natural defence, the living creature coats the particle layer by layer in a luminous nacre (a deposit of calcium carbonate and conchiolin) that seals the dirt inside, a process that can take up to several years.


Pearls have always been steeped in value as, until early in the 20th century when Japanese researches discovered an ingenious way of culturing them, they were an extremely rare commodity. Natural spherical pearls, an infrequent accident by nature, are so sought after because their body is made up almost entirely of this nacre. These thin and even concentric layers act as a convex mirror fracturing light that result in the pearl’s beautiful iridescent lustre. Cultured pearls can have a surface lustre just as luminous as their natural counterparts because the mollusc naturally builds up a thick outer layer of nacre concealing its larger foreign core.


Fine jewellery dealers in Grays such as Puskin Antiques, Spectrum, RBR Group and Satoe to name a few, have a selection of natural pearl items. Up until recently, The Gilded Lily had in its stock an exceptional string of natural, spherical golden pearls, considered some of the most perfect in the world.While a highlight by Puskin Antiques is an unusual pair of Victorian natural pearl tassle earrings with 18ct gold tops set with emerald and ruby.(photo below, £4000).



The pearl dealers located on the ground floor of the Mews, all offer a vast selection of high quality cultured pearls. Scanlan & Sequino (Beaut), The Pearl Gallery and Michelle Jewellery (M S Diamonds) all create their own unique designs with exceptional yet affordable pearls they travel the world to find.


Both The Pearl Gallery and Beaut specialise in freshwater pearls (those that are grown in molluscs which inhabit rivers or lakes), Tahitian (black pearls grown by the black-lipped oyster) and South Sea pearls. South Sea pearls, some of the largest pearls in the world, are formed by oysters in the sea that lies between the Southern coast of China and Northern coast of Australia. These pearls are cultured for a minimum of 2 years allowing for their larger size and their unusually thick nacre, commonly 3-6mm.



The Pearl Gallery, A naturally coloured set of South Sea, Tahiti and freshwater pearls with a diamond clasp

(Prices available on enquiry)


Beaut’s Frances Codd and Michelle Jewellery stock a lovely range of naturally coloured baroque pearl necklaces (unique free form pearls that come in an array of shapes and sizes). Michelle also offers a jewellery repair service on site.



Michelle Jewellery (M S Diamonds) Freshwater baroque pearl necklace (prices available on enquiry)



Showcase Spotlight: Winnie & Gerty


Winnie & Gerty are relatively new showcase dealers in Grays Mews. Their large showcase boasts a wonderful range of vintage and antique jewellery as well as some one-off hand made items. With much of their stock in the Art Deco and Nouveau styles they have some truly lovely pieces, f
rom necklaces to ear drops, lunettes to vintage gilt pencils and cufflinks
. All of these would make perfect gifts or a treat for yourself!. You can find Winnie & Gerty in Showcase FS6 in Grays Mews.

Showcase your Collectables

If you have a collection of antiques or collectables and are looking for somewhere to display and sell them why not rent a Grays Showcase. For more information please contact Jenna on 020 7629 7034 or email info@grays.biz

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