Blog: buying jewellery online – insider guide

2019 was a very busy year for us. We sought to incorporate more hand chosen Vintage and Antique jewellery to our collection. Looking forward we see this as a growing market as our customers search out handmade and unique pieces. We will of course, stay loyal to our amazing brands like Tiffany & Co, Cartier and Bulgari and are keen to see what LVMH's takeover of Tiffany & Co will bring. 

Our buyer has been diligently searching out artisan made pieces featuring stunning craftsmanship, elegance and uniqueness. We are concentrating on key pieces; Antique/Vintage Engagement rings, featuring magical Old Cut Diamonds, Art Deco Diamond Bracelets and Retro Gold Tank Bracelets. Here and there we'll add a little curio that we just love. We hope you find the additions as exciting as we do. 

We think it’s time to embrace the word recycled. Recycled used to mean toilet paper – rough toilet paper! These days recycled means ideal, sustainable and noble.

As a company, we have been recycling fine jewellery since 2011. We buy items made by distinguished jewellery houses like Cartier and Tiffany & Co. We then service and polish the items so that they look new or nearly new. Our engagement rings are always sold in “Proposal Ready” condition which means what is says!

As we do not support manufacturing at its source – our items are already made and do not require much in the way of additional resources. We are practically carbon neutral!

Pre-owned, second hand, recycled used to mean second best. We think that idea has been turned upside down. As we all seek to make the planet a better place to live we must embrace recycling in all its forms whether it’s paper or jewellery.

We are proud to sell recycled fine jewellery and we think you’ll be proud to wear it.

Cartier as investment? Can we expect that our Cartier jewellery purchases will increase in value?

Since its founding in 1847 the Cartier name has been synonymous with luxury. "Cartier is the King of Jewellers and the Jewellers of Kings" said Edward VII, more than 100 years ago. A brand with such fine pedigree, standing the test of time for more than 150 years should be looked at with more seriousness than just a purveyor of fine jewellery.

We have found that since Bloomsbury Manor began in 2011 the price of pre owned Cartier jewellery has markedly increased. We are looking at rises of 20-30% particularly across collectors pieces such as Panthere, C de Cartier, Bamboo and Trinity. There are more modest increases from the more well known Love collection. The slightly rarer collector's pieces are more rare and demand is strong from people wanting to invest in a piece which is both wearable and likely to increase in value. The Panthere range has been fashionable since the 1930s, King Edward VIII's consort The Duchess of Windsor was a keen fan. The collection has never been out of fashion as far as we are aware! C de Cartier, Trinity and Bamboo have all evolved over time and customers are both interested in vintage and current designs.

With Global financial uncertainty becoming constant background noise we would counsel that a solid investment in a tried and tested asset class would be wise. With dwindling supply and demand increasing we foresee that any Cartier collector's piece bought now might be worth 20% more in 5 years.

How can anyone resist?

Here are some investment pieces.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are no guarantee of future growth.

The most valuable jewellery in the world is also the rarest. This is not a coincidence. Since the beginning of time human beings have cherished the rarest commodities. Would gold be so valuable if our rivers ran full of it?

Every year Tiffany & Co puts together an exclusive collection of gemstone jewellery. This collection "Colours" travels the world and comprises of one off pieces. Tiffany's renowned gemstone department curates a collection of large, unparalleled stones to be set in the finest settings, in which to display unique fire, scintillation and presence.

You might imagine that one off jewellery pieces are expensive. They absolutely are! Our unique Tiffany & Co Spessartite Garnet Earrings made for the 2009 Colours Collection were originally sold for £40,800!

They are available from us for just £11,700 and are sure to be a future investment. If you are more generally interested in the Colours collection it is touring right now and pieces are available in Harrods, London to view. There is a similar pair of rubellite earrings available for £41,000.

For enquiries about these earrings please contact us on +44(0207) 692  5103.

Jean Schlumberger was arguably Tiffany & Co's most important designer. His talent with colour and enamel proved to be an instant hit with wealthy, well-heeled women. Many of his designs from the 1950s onwards are still in production today, with his 'Jackie' paillonne enamel bracelet being the most famous example. 

Perhaps more than any other of Tiffany & Co.'s designers, Jean Schlumberger pieces not only hold their value, but tend to increase in value over time. His jewellery is highly collectable amongst the well-healed connoisseur.

With a firey orange spessartite garnet weighing 6.71ct at its centre and an additional 2ct of scintillating white diamonds, in a classic Schlumberger setting, this piece is sure to delight the wearer or collector. Please see the ring here or call 0207 692 5103 for more details.  Please note that this ring is re-sizable by Tiffany & Co. Currently size 5 (J 1/2 to K).

Ever since Cecil Rhodes founded De Beers in 1888, London has been associated with diamond trading. But when we think of diamond cutting it's New York, Antwerp and Surat that come to mind. The recent resurgence of interest in older cut diamonds, with their unique charm and fire, has cast the spotlight back on a period of time before the ubiquitous modern Brilliant cut.

These days, 92% of the world's diamond are cut in Surat, India. And in an age of global knowledge, diamond cutters in India employ identical techniques to those used in Antwerp. One hundred years ago however, standardised cutting techniques had not yet evolved. A more artisan approach was in force, relying heavily on local knowledge.

London in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was at the vanguard of new technology and skills. Financed and powered by the nascent Industrial Revolution, diamond cutters in London became renowned for the fineness of their cut stones. In spite of this, for many years after the development of the modern brilliant cut stone, no-one paid much interest in the older cut stones, preferring instead to have them re-cut.

But now, discerning buyers seeking out something truly special are re-visiting older cut diamonds and falling in love with their unique beauty. In addition to the extra fire associated with older cut stones, there is an additional parameter of provenance which owes itself to the highly localised skills of cutters.

Today, the term Old English Brilliant is now reserved for a particularly fine Old European Cut, presumed to be cut in London. It is the perfect homage to the skill set of London's cutters.

We can think of the Old English Brilliant as a superior Old European Cut diamond. Just like we have "ideal" or "hearts and arrows" to describe the finest cut modern brilliant diamonds, buyers now have a term which gains them access to the top tier of antique stones.