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The Last of the English Watchmakers!
In the early 1900s the English watch making industry was virtually destroyed by Swiss imports. Since then we have all grown used to names such as Rolex, Omega, Longines and Jaeger-Le-Coultre. However, once British manufacturer carried on producing watches right up until the 1970s. Smiths of Cheltenham. Today we have a collection of 6x Smiths wrist watches from the 1950s, 60s and 70s that have been well looked after and loved. The earliest is a Smiths De Luxe model. It has a manual wind, 17 jewel movement and is fitted into a 9ct gold case. The hallmark tells us it...
Rare Lewes Silver Spoons Continued...
Charles I Sussex Silver Seal Top Spoon:- Fig-shaped bowl, tapered stem, gilded seal top. Scratch initials - I.L. Length - 15.3cm and weight - 0.9oz Marks - Fleur-de-lys Lewes mark WD - William Dobson I Circa 1640 Charles I Sussex Silver Seal Top Spoon:- Fig-shaped bowl, tapered faceted stem. Traces of gilding to the seal top. Faintly prick dot initials - W over W.P. Length - 16.4cm and weight - 0.9oz Marks - Fleur-de-lys of Lewes and W of William Dodson Circa 1640
Rare Lewes Silver Spoons!
During the 17th Century the local Gentry of Lewes and the surrounding area would have become aware of the fashionable silverware being produced in London. However the notoriously poor roads throughout the Weald of Sussex at that time meant moving goods around was near on impossible. This led to Lewes becoming a regional centre for goldsmiths and silversmiths. Today we are lucky enough to have acquired a collection of 6x spoons from that period all made, tested and marked here in Lewes. Below is the first example.. Charles I Sussex Silver Seal-Top Spoon: Fig-shaped bowl, tapered faceted stem, gilded seal...
A Cut Above The Rest
In stock at the moment we have this beautiful solitaire diamond ring. The square outline of the stone was very popular in the 1920's and 1930's. The diamond in this ring is referred to as an Asscher cut stone. It's named after the Asscher family of stone cutters who operated out of Amsterdam in the early 1900's. The family's greatest claim to fame was that they were requested to cut the Cullinan diamond by King Edward VII. The story goes that the honour of making the first cut fell to Joseph Asscher. He took the responsibility very seriously spending...
What is Corundum?
On our website you can find a large number of pieces of jewellery containing both Sapphires and Rubies. After Diamond they are probably the most popular gems used. But why?Well the fine blue of a Kashmir or Ceylon Sapphire and the richness of a Burmese Ruby are hard to beat. They are also stones the have a long history of human use St Edwards Sapphire in the Crown Jewels is believed to have belonged to Edward the confessor nearly 1000 years ago.However it is the practicality of these two stones that make them stand out from others. Both are second only in hardness...