Blog: buying jewellery online – insider guide

Here at Bloomsbury Manor we are very serious about authenticity. We use a variety of methods to ensure that all our jewellery meets our exacting requirements and yours. Our jewellery specialist will perform tests using specialist diamond testing equipment and microscopes. Pictured below is a laser inscription from a Tiffany & Co engagement ring.

We check laser inscriptions to make sure that they exist and tally with any certification.

In addition to the testing of precious stones we are also well versed in the workmanship of master jewellers such as Bulgari, Cartier and Tiffany & Co. It takes years to understand what to expect from their craftsmen. So many years in fact that it really does pay to deal with and expert.

A final round of verification involves pure experience. Does the item "add up" does it feel right? There is no blog or youtube video that can teach you this skill. Only experience can tell you.

If you have any questions about our verification process or authenticity in general please do not hesitate to contact us on 0207 692 5103 or via email info@bloomsburymanor.com

Which Investment? Shares, gold, pensions? The idea of an investment is not a complex one. We buy something and hopefully its value increases. But not necessarily.. when we buy shares or pensions even the small print tells us that the value of our investment can go up, as well as down. What if you could buy something now that would increase in value and you could wear it whilst you owned it?

Luxury pre-owned jewellery, can fit the brief and a growing number of savvy women are realising that they can have their cake and eat it by buying stylish pieces they know they can hold and sell on later on for profit. The price of new jewellery always rises. Labour, marketing and other overheads all contribute, as well as the fact that luxury items by definition cannot become cheaper. It does not make sense however, to invest in new items. It typically takes 30 years to recoup the value of a new item because so much of the RRP goes on the company’s overheads.

This is where pre-owned luxury jewellery comes into its own. The value of carefully chosen preowned designer high jewellery (platinum, gold) is often more than that of the metals and gemstones. But without the hefty overheads of the brand to pay for you are left with the items' real value. As the price of new designer jewellery rises so should that of the pre-owned. It can even weather the storms of the gold/platinum markets as it's value is propped up by the brand.

So, if luxury designer jewellery is such a good buy why don’t we hear more about it? The truth is that it’s an opaque market where 'value' isn’t clear. You need reliable dealers with a good instinct for what will make a good future investment. Brands such as Tiffany & Co., Cartier and Bulgari will always hold their value, but within those brands there are certain pieces, which carry more investment potential than others. You also need to know how to sell. If you hold for 5-10 yrs the original seller may buy your item back for more than you paid - can you imagine that happening anywhere else? If not high end auction houses are an option. If you buy new jewellery you might wait 30 years to recoup the original asking price. But with pre-owned branded jewellery you could be looking to making a substantial profit on the price paid after as little as 5 years. If you’re really lucky you could buy something that becomes the next super coveted piece. In the meantime you get to have a lot of fun wearing it.

If you would like to talk to us about jewellery for investment please call us on +44 207 692 5103 or email info@bloomsburymanor.com and we’ll be happy to give you our considered advice.

When you are proposing on Valentine's Day, it's not a regular proposal. The location is usually somewhere you're very familiar with already, often somewhere fancy – or somewhere special to you both. There are other differences too – the biggest is often the element of surprise!

At Bloomsbury Manor, we think that there is a golden triangle of gifts that should make your Valentine's Day proposal go very smoothly indeed. Whether you've bought a Tiffany & Co. or Cartier Engagement ring from us – or anywhere else for that matter – we think there are two essential little extras...

1. Champagne

As you might expect, we're not in to generic; we know exactly which one is best, of course!  Rosé is just what is needed, and you cannot go wrong with Charles Heidsieck's 1999 Rosé Millésimé. Toasty, mellow, rich – just like you perhaps? Either way, it's a wonderful celebratory drink for you both to share.

2. Chocolates

Truffles no less, but not from your local supermarket! These truffles, made by distinguished chocolatier Michel Cluizel, are undoubtedly the finest we have found. Rich smooth ganache, with a dusting of cocoa powder.

3. The ring!

We can trace the origins of the now famous “Atlas” range of jewellery back to one watch. You know, the one with the Roman numerals, designed by the now Emeritus Design Director, John Loring. It first hit the display cabinets at Tiffany & Co back in 1983 and was deemed so revolutionary it was granted a patent!

Slick and modern, a distillation of the best of American design, the Atlas watch spawned an entire collection of wearable, distinctive and refined jewellery. Recently tweaked and updated by the newly appointed design director, Francesca Amfitheatrof the Atlas range is once more thrust into the spotlight where we can see that it is a true design classic.

Our current Atlas pieces, please click on each one to find out more:-

It has been 15yrs since Tiffany & Co. launched the Lucida diamond ring. After decades in development, a diamond cut to twinkle and shed light like the brightest star in a constellation was born. Now that the Lucida is no longer a newcomer but a seasoned member of the Tiffany & Co. engagement ring collection we have decided to cast a spotlight on this most distinct of Tiffany cuts and ponder on the characteristics of the Lucida woman.

The Lucida diamond was and is a trailblazer. A unique cut and revolutionary cut that paradoxically doesn't scream its virtues. It looks magnificent but in a quiet and refined way, shedding light like a flickering candle and quietly drawing in an audience. The Lucida is strong but feminine, dazzling but not showy.

We think that the two women who are most likely to be Lucida women are:

Amal Clooney (nee Alamuddin)

Besides being a Bloomsbury based barrister, Amal epitomises a discreet magnetism and an irresistible glow. She is a Lucida woman par excellence!

Jessica Ennis-Hill

Lovely Jessica is also a Lucida woman. Strong but not overpowering, Jessica brings attention to herself, not because she's a show off but because of her shining qualities. She's another Lucida woman.

The year is 2190. Your great great great great great granddaughter has just got engaged. In an era where all known diseases have a cure and human beings are able to take to the skies with individual jet packs it might be tempting to think that nothing would be regonisable to her great great great great great grandparent. But certain things have not changed. Humans still enjoy the taste of fresh fruit, live in homes that were built centuries ago and engagement rings are still being made by Tiffany & Co. The company founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany in 1837 is now 300 years old but the founding principles of quality and design have endured.

This scenario might seem far-fetched but perhaps not that illogical. As long as a wheel is well-oiled it will keep on spinning and there are not many brands as well-oiled as Tiffany & Co. The Tiffany setting was created in 1886, and just like a well-oiled wheel it doesn’t need re-inventing.

Having survived two world wars, the stock market crash as well as the 2008 global financial crash Tiffany & Co engagement rings may continue to grace the fingers of would-be brides for millennia!

Recent news that Tiffany & Co’s profits had exceeded estimates comes as no surprise. A recent overhaul of classic product lines such as Atlas has brought some much needed freshness to the line, whilst the creation of a brand new metal alloy – Rubedo - reminiscent of Edwardian rose gold, created a media frenzy.

Underneath new product launches and the titivation of existing lines lies the equally important job of keeping things exactly as they are! We must not underestimate the importance of monitoring that Tiffany blue does not waver one fraction of a colour away from itself. Or that the classic Tiffany engagement ring be created to the same standard and same proportions as it always has.

Understanding what to change - and what to conserve exactly as it is - cannot be an easy feat, involving a combination of science, art and instinct. Whilst fashions come and go some core values and ideas never change. They are our foundations, our standards by which to measure all other things against.