From the Swinging Sixties, to Sheffield as a jewellery hub and Victorian International Exhibitions, then and add a touch of sparkle with the glamorous ladies Princess Mathilde, Helena Rubinstein, Estée Lauder and Ganna Walska. These six talks cover a vast array of jewels of many different designs and historical importance.
Doors open 11am – the Talk starts 11.30am
£42.00 per person
Tea and Coffee on arrival
Complimentary Glass of Fizz and sandwich lunch after the talk
April
Thursday 4th, Saturday 6th or Friday 26th
Fun and Frivolity – The 1960’s Revolution
The 1960’s was a period of fun and energy, and this was translated into the fashion and jewellery of the time. The designers were inspired by the freedom that had been found in the 1920’s and revived the designs, but with a breathtaking spin. Fashion houses had never seen such drama in design and the jewellery was quite unbelievable, with a style and budget for all. This talk will look at the amazing period of design and illustrate how jewellery was at another amazing turning point in history.
April
Friday 5th, Thursday 18th or Saturday 27th
Glorious Glamour – The Dazzling Jewels of Princess Mathilde
This talk is packed with magnificent jewels and fashions, the envy of any Queen of Europe. One of the most important French jewellery collections (other than the Crown Jewels) was owned by Princess Mathilde, niece of Napoleon Bonaparte. Mathilde inherited jewels from her mother and after her divorce from the rich Russian, Anatole Demidoff, her collection was filled with an abundance of the most sumptuous jewellery, including 200 items bought from Cartier! Her jewellery was sold after her death in 1904.
May
Thursday 9th, Saturday 11th or Friday 24th
Beauty Queens – The Jewellery Collections of Estée Lauder and Helena Rubinstein
A world of beauty collides with beautiful jewels with the collections of Lauder and Rubinstein. These two women established enormously successful beauty brands and loved to buy jewellery! This talk delves into their fabulous lives, rivalries within the industry, a look at the society ladies and celebrities they treated and oh of course, some beautiful jewellery
May
Friday 10th or Thursday 23rd
Exhibition Madness – The Rise of International Exhibitions
As Queen Victoria wrote in her diaries, prepare to be ‘quite dazzled’ with the wonders of the Great Exhibitions. From the magnificent Devonshire Parure to diamond brooches featuring thousands of diamonds set on magical mechanical springs, the Victorian ‘Great Exhibitions’ brought together under one roof the wonders of world-wide design. This talk looks into the importance of those jewellery designers that exhibited and brought with them new inspiration, techniques, gemstones and opportunities in the jewellery world. This is a talk not to be missed, highlighting a revolutionary time in jewellery design.
June
Thursday 20th, Saturday 22nd or Friday 28th
Goldsmiths North – The Magnificence of Sheffield
From Mappin & Webb to that famous brand … Ratner’s, Sheffield has a fantastic history associated with Gold and Silversmithing. As we look forward to the Goldsmiths North Contemporary Jewellery Exhibition at Cutlers’ Hall Sheffield in July, this talk will look at the importance of Sheffield in the history of jewellery and silver design, hallmarking and retailing.
June
Thursday 27th or Saturday 29th
The Exotic and Secret World of Ganna Walska
Ganna Walska became a very successful opera and concert singer which led to a very extravagant lifestyle. When her jewellery came up for sale in 1971 it was described as ‘exotic and wonderfully designed’. This talk unravels Ganna’s mysterious background – who exactly was she and what were the relationships which led to her wonderful lifestyle and of course her jewellery collection.
Lectures are individually priced at £42* and include tea or coffee on arrival
and a complimentary glass of fizz and sandwich lunch after the Talk.
The Gallery doors will open between 11am and 11.15am and the Talk will commence at 11.30am