Today’s Jewelry Collection Story comes from Isobel of Eva Antiques. She is based out of London, England and has been selling antique jewelry since 2007. Isobel always has some unique finds to offer and I love to keep up with her website where she updates regularly. She started out as a buyer in the fashion industry but was continually inspired by antiques as both her parents were dealers, one of furniture and the other silver. I think you’ll love Isobel’s collection and story:
“I don’t see myself as a collector, more as an antique dealer, but I don’t think you can truly be one and not the other! I just love, and have always loved, ‘things’ and only ever keep something that strongly appeals to me. I was hugely into clothes and accessories from an early age and remember buying silver jewellery from the local market from around 9 or 10. My parents were both in the antiques trade and I often went with my mum to the antiques fairs from an early age, in a pushchair, throughout my childhood and then on and off in my teens until I moved out and to London at 19. I always loved the fairs and enjoyed picking up a cute vintage bag or a purse to start with. In my mid-teens my mum bought be a turquoise and pearl cluster ring that I absolutely adored; I wore it all the time. Turquoise has always been my favourite, but unfortunately, I lost it. She then gave me a family ring for my 21st birthday, a small 5 stone diamond ring that it was said that someone in the family had actually mined the diamonds themselves in South Africa (I have no idea if this was family myth or truth). I wore that all the time and really treasured it, but then, on an evening out, I lost that too. I was absolutely devastated; I still am.
Once these rings had given me a taste for antique jewellery, it was a slow climb from there and my fate was finally sealed when I got engaged at 23 and chose my own engagement ring at Portobello Rd. We then went to South Africa on our honeymoon a year later and I had a diamond ring made while we were there – a ‘honeymoon ring’. Whilst there, I loved the process of designing the ring and choosing the stones and that was when I decided jewellery was my destiny. I was a fashion buyer at the time and spent the next 2 years working at Portobello on the side whilst saving up to start out on my own. By that point, I had the inevitable realisation that it was antiques and secondhand jewellery that was my main interest rather than the design process that I had thought I wanted.”
“I have an eclectic taste and wear and collect pieces from across the ages in all metals. Moons, hearts, locks, envelopes, suitcases and acorns are all motifs that I admire and occasionally find to add to my collection. I love jewels with secret compartments and I particularly like rings with other uses such as a locket ring, watch key ring or watch ring. I feel amazing enamel should be admired and I am always attracted to enamel pieces, though I tend not to have these in my collection as I am always worried that I will damage the enamel! Pavé turquoise is an absolute favourite and I love words/letters in jewels, particularly antique jewels with words engraved into them or better yet, picked out in diamonds. And finally, my slightly guilty pleasure is 80s kitsch gold, such as my double heart ring. I just love the slightly tacky vibe.”
“I think jewellery says an awful lot about a person and I have always used clothes and other adornments to express myself. I am not an outwardly large personality and I think clothes and accessories can say so much without words. Jewellery is very much a part of who I am and I feel completely lost if I am not wearing any. I wear jewels all day, everyday, and I go through phases. I will wear the same ensemble of jewels for months on end and then, suddenly, I won’t want to wear those pieces anymore and will switch it up. During the switch up process, I try out a new normal, but I know within a few days whether it is going to work for any length of time or not. Often it takes a couple of tries before I find the right combination for the next 3 or 4 months. Jewellery for me is a feeling and you don’t know it is right until it is. I think this emotional response to jewels is fairly common and it is another reason I am so passionate about it – there is nothing better than finding a truly loved piece for someone. I love the way one jewel for one person will elicit a certain response, but it will be something else that lights a fire for someone else.”
“I am always on the hunt! You never know where the jewels will turn up. I love an antiques centre around the UK and a random sign on the side of the road that says ‘Antiques’. If there are no jewels, there’ll be something else to treasure.
My absolute favourite place to hunt is Sunbury Antiques, an antiques market in the UK. It’s an early start, but it is always worth it. Not only for the jewels, but also for the friendly faces in the trade and the general obsession with antiques and vintage that everyone has at the market. There is nothing better than an antiques market anywhere.”
“I have a couple pieces with an interesting story! The first one is a gorgeous Georgian Perpignan garnet necklace that my mum found and purchased for me for my wedding day. She had decided that she wanted to buy me something to wear on the day and, without having any real knowledge of jewellery other than what she loved, she found this stunner of a jewel with a swallow and a flower. The story came a couple of years later. My husband and I were going out for a meal for an anniversary and I decided to wear it for the first time since our wedding day. We walked from our house in East London to the Tube and made our way into the centre. Somewhere on the Tube, I realised that the necklace was no longer on my neck and after a frantic search, it was nowhere to be seen. I couldn’t believe that I had lost another important piece of jewellery that my mum had given me. I sat on the Tube in total disbelief.
We decided that we’d got all dressed up already and we had a table booked so we’d carry on and try to make the best of the night. Around 5 or 6 hours later, we caught the last tube home. On the walk back to our house, there lying face down on the street was my necklace! It had fallen into a crack in the pavement so had been protected for the evening and no one had noticed it. It wasn’t even particularly visible and I have no idea what drew me to that spot to find it. An absolute needle in a haystack moment. It had survived in tact and now sits in a box! Sadly, I am a bit worried to wear it though I love it a lot.
My other story is not quite so dramatic. When we went to purchase my engagement ring, a beautiful Victorian banded agate heart locket was sitting in the case. I swooned over it and my husband offered to buy it for me with the engagement ring. I felt pretty spoilt already so I turned the offer down. A couple of years later, when I started working at Portobello, the same dealer was there. She wasn’t a regular and had a shop in Brighton so didn’t always bring all the same jewels, but she had the agate heart with her that day. I didn’t pass on it a second time and snapped it up when I saw it again. I still think it is amazing. I have only ever seen one other as nice, and the lovely Leonore Dailey had it.”
Most recent find
A turquoise trilogy flush mount ring. I’ve been searching for one for a while and finally the perfect ring came up a few weeks ago. It arrived from a dealer that I often buy from and it was a perfect fit. Total love at first site.
Most sentimental piece
A couple of pieces from my Grandma. A gorgeous antique albert chain with a bloodstone fob attached. It is wonderfully heavy and has the most beautiful rose colour. And my S signet. This was also hers – she was given it by her siblings for her 21st (she was one of 6), and she gave it to me on my 21st. Crazily, I kept it in a little silver pot (that she had also given me at the same time) for years as it wasn’t my style at the time. It feels like madness to say it now as a gold signet is my ‘go to’ piece of jewellery, but you know, times and fashions change.
Something I wear every day
My current ‘get-up’ includes a trio of charms and a gold chain on my neck, a few rings on my fingers and many hoop earrings in my ears. But the piece I wear every day and haven’t removed for approximately 15 years is my dented Edwardian gold bangle. It’s perfect in my eyes and never leaves my wrist.
