Fabergé jewellery - eggcellent!

Until today I had not paid much attention to Fabergé, to be honest. Of course I've heard of them and I've seen things in the windows of antique shops and jewellery shops, but I envisioned them as a little.... dated, perhaps?

But today I saw something that made my heart race [and made it straight on to my wish list]. A rose gold Fabergé egg necklace pendant. This one... [£2,073]. 

Isn't it spectacular? I can even be engraved with a message, which looks really nice. Of course this got me looking around the rest of the website and there are some rather lovely things to look at. Here are my favourites [all of the pendant come without a necklace/bracelet and this can be purchased separately]... 

1. Palais Tsarskoye Selo Turquoise Charm. £2,665. 

Isn't this charm pretty?! It is from the Heritage Collection and is made from 18 karat yellow gold with turquoise guilloché enamel. 

2. Boris Red Cufflinks. £2,600. 

Although I have absolutely no use for them, I have a bit of a thing for cufflinks at the moment. These ones are stunning. Made from 18 karat gold, cherry red guilloché enamel, and 0.08 carats of white diamonds. So, so beautiful. 

3. Palais Yelagin Forest Green earrings. £16,000.  

These come in a few colours but I like these ones (yellow gold, diamond, and Forest Green enamel) and the next ones (white gold, diamond, and Royal Blue enamel). 

4. Palais Yelagin Royal Blue Earrings. £11,846. 

5. Palais Tsarkoye Selo Turquoise Diamond Locket Pendant. £14,000. 

This pendant is super-cute and fun. It is made from 18 karat yellow gold, turquoise enamel, and 0.47 carats of white diamond (60 diamonds on total). Isn't it beautiful? 

6. Zenya Emerald Egg Pendant. £28,135. 

This pendant isn't exactly to my taste, but it shows the skill of the craftsmen at Fabergé, because the stones are so beautifully placed. It has 366 round white diamonds, and 203 round emeralds, totalling 2.49 carats, and 2.77 carats. It comes in an all-diamond version which has 567 diamonds, totalling 5.8 carats of diamond! 

7. Treillage Diamond Rose Gold Matt Ring. £2,400. 

I can't explore a jewellery designer without taking a look at their rings, obviously. I like the matt finish that Fabergé offer on their rings and the subtle 'quilting' which matches some of the eggs in their collection. This one is the thinner of two band widths on offer. 

8. Devotion Amethyst 6.55cts Ring. £15,000. 

Again, this isn't entirely to my taste but it has a couple of details that I adore. It has a mighty fine cushion cut amethyst which is just beautiful. I love the shape of the claws and the fact that the ring has a couple of dual-tone parts, like the claws and the side-diamond bezel, which I love. 

There is a 'story of Fabergé' link HERE so you can have a read about the company and where is has come from. Take a look at the jewellery and please share your favourite piece in the comments below. 

I hope you've enjoyed this introduction to Fabergé as much as I have enjoyed writing it. 

L. x 

Wedding sneak peak - my earrings

Happy Sunday fellow jewellery lovers. I am having a really hard time picking out the perfect jewellery for the wedding. My jewellery is very important to me [obviously] so making the right choices for our big day is daunting. 

I was originally looking for something classic; pearls, diamonds, rose quartz... but after hours, and hours [literally, many hours] of searching, over many, many months I purchased some earrings on a whim, from a brand that I'd been coveting but had not actually bought anything from before - Les Nereides. I know, I can hear the gasps, it's risky, but ladies and gents... it paid off! 

I took a risk with these; I'd never seen anything from Les Nereides in the flesh, so they could have looked cheap and plasticky. Thank goodness that they look quite the opposite. Here is what the website showed me... 

And here are mine... [in a vintage box that one of my wedding rings came in]

Aren't they amazing?! Yes, yes they are. They are weighty [in a good way], the enamelling is beautiful, the stone sparkles and is vivid in colour. They are going to look amazing with my floral crown. I'm not a confident person, so these little touches will help me to feel special on the day. Here is a picture of me wearing one of them... [excuse my dry ears, please] and it helps to show that they are actually a lot smaller than they look. 

So there we have it. My wedding earrings. I'm seriously considering buying a bracelet or two from Les Nereides to tie the look together. I don't have to worry about a necklace, so the bracelets are all that's left. Phew! 

L. 

Friday night is alright - Fine jewellery auction at Sotheby's.

We're chilling out with some America sweets that I got from a new sweet shop on my way home from work and watching some new American horror series on Netflix. Of course I am also skipping through the pages of the Internet, looking at sparkly things. What is it tonight, you ask? Well, let me share... 

SOTHEBY'S! Yes! Auctions. They have a fine jewellery auction coming up and seriously, these jewels could not be more beautiful. There are lots and lots of lovely things to look at but I do, of course, have my favourites. So, here they are... 

Lot 23 :: Amethyst, peridot, and enamel necklace, early 20th century. 

Isn't this just beautiful? Look at the intricate baskets that the gems are sitting in, and the colours - oh, the colours! Estimated at £2,000 - £3,000. 

Lot 83 :: Emerald, Ruby, and Diamond ring. Look at those rubies, that cabochon emerald, those sparkly diamonds! This is a rare beauty, when do you see emeralds looking like THAT?! For crying out loud, it's amazing. Estimated at £3,800 - £4,800. 

Lot 144 :: Lady's diamond wristwatch, Jaeger LeCouture, 1960's. Estimated at £3,000 - £4,000 and worth every penny [in my opinion]. This, along with the emerald ring are utter perfection to me. I'd have them both if I could. I could look at this watch all day. It has also made me want to look into "Jaeger LeCouture", which I'll do when I'm finished here. Elegant, beautiful, feminine. 

Lot 196 :: Pair of coral and diamond pendant earrings. Estimated at £1,500 - £2,000. Seriously, I'm not sure I can cope with all this glamour. I have a thing for this style of earrings after seeing THESE [link] earrings from Les Nereides and these earrings really remind me of them. Of course the Les Nereides are much more within my price range, but a girl can dream - right? 

Lot 283 :: Pair of sapphire and diamond pendant earrings, 1920s. Estimated at £5,000 - £7,000. Talking of glamour... oh, my... Look at the cut of those sapphires, and those diamonds. These are from the 1920s and I can only daydream about the glamorous life of the first owner. *le sigh* 

Lot 1847 :: Jadeite bead, ruby, and diamond necklace, Cartier, circa 1933. Yes, you read that correctly. Jadeite, ruby, diamond and CARTIER. My word... look at that catch, and that ruby red against that jadeite green. Just stunning. Please go to the link and have a play around with the zoom feature, those jadeite beads are stunning. The estimate must be more than I'll earn in a lifetime because it is available upon request. Oooo... 

Anyway, I've blabbered enough for a Friday night. I just wanted to share these finds with you. I can pretty much guarantee that this is not the last time I'll be talking about Sotheby's - there are lots, and lots of lovely, beautiful things that need to be talked about. 

G'night. 

Thanks for reading, 

L. x