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The best designers: Pierre Sterlé

Published on August 3, 2021

Pierre Sterlé, spilla con zaffiri e gemme, anni Sessanta

Great designers to rediscover: the French master Pierre Sterlé ♦

Time ago, Hancocks, the London company specializing in the sale of rare jewels, was in the Tefaf in Maastricht with 88 pieces, including a special necklace: the Pierre Sterlé diamond Ribbon, a jewel made in 1960. The choice is also a recognition for the French jeweler. The necklace, 62.9 carats, has a stylized arch motif, with the ends more thin and diamond baguette cut. Son of a banking family, Pierre Sterlé was born in 1905.

As a boy he lived with an uncle, a jeweler in Paris: so he also was initiated to the craft and debuted in 1934 with his own creation. He worked for Boucheron, Chaumet and Ostertag. The writer Colette loved the work of Sterle and was one of its first customers. During World War it moved to larger premises, in Avenue de l’Opera, near Place Vendome. He also worked for the way of fashion, Dior, Balenciaga or Jean Desses. Pierre Sterlé has earned an international reputation and clientele: from Indian maharajas to the King of Egypt, Farouk, who ordered him a ring for his wife, the Queen Narriman.

Pierre Sterlé’s style is easily recognizable: it is characterized by inspiring themes, artistic treatment and technical mastery. The recurring motifs in his work derive from nature: birds, wings, feathers, animals and various types of flowers. His themes feature asymmetry and a Baroque type of extravagance, contrasting with opulent geometric shapes and arabesques seen in traditional jewelry of the era.

Collana twist a nastro con diamanti taglio brillante e taglio baguette proposta da Hancocks

His reputation was cemented when he won the De Beers Diamond Award, a major achievement in the profession of jewelry, which has won for three consecutive years, in 1953, 1954 and 1955. But not everything went the right way: by Sterlé jewelry has expanded to perfumes, Huit-Huit and 2 Diam, which have been an economic disaster. Despite this, his career continued as a jeweler, but always with little luck since financing point of view (although the family had made a fortune with finance). So in 1976 he had to liquidate the company, and all the material was purchased by Chaumet. It disappeared in 1978, but her jewelry continue to be more popular than ever.

Anello in oro con rubini, diamante color acquamarina

Bracciale in oro comn diamanti e granato

Bracciale di Pierre Sterlé in oro bianco e giallo

Amy Burton, designer number Unum

Published on February 20, 2020

Rings/alta gioielleria

The unique pieces of Amy Burton: jewels with extraordinary stones and extraordinary geometries ♦ ︎
Of course, to be the daughter of Stephen and Janie Burton, owners of the Hancocks vintage jewelry boutique in London, offers a good advantage. But Amy Burton did not take advantage of the custom with large, precious jewels of the period to conquer a space behind the family windows. In fact, in 2016, she decided to start her own business with a high-end jewelry shop: unique pieces, not at all tending to an antiquated or even classic taste.
Her journey began with a gemology degree at the Gemmological Association in London and she continued to take inspiration from different subjects. For example, the Disorient collection is inspired by a Venetian gate.

The Unum jewelery line recalls Latin and indicates that they are unique pieces. Amy Burton’s jewels sign a marriage between great exceptional stones, in the sense that they are for cut or color different from those usually found in jewelry, and intricate geometric constructions that, despite the often generous dimensions of rings or bracelets, succeed to offer a pleasant sense of lightness. Its jewels, among other things, unlike some other luxury jewelry brands, are all made in London, obviously by expert hands of craftsmen. Between sculpture and architecture, Amy Burton’s jewels offer, indeed, a London sense of grandeur, but without overdoing it: a typically English character. Rudy Serra

Amy Burton, orecchini Crescendo, tormalina e granato

Anello con morganite rosa di 8,32 carati taglio Asscher

Anello Solis con grande zaffiro giallo non riscaldato, diamanti, platino

Anello della collezione Disorient in platino, diamanti e grande acquamarina

Anelli della collezione Disorient in oro e diamanti

Anello della collezione Unum, con diamanti bianchi

Masterpiece London is coming

Published on June 16, 2018

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Cindy Chao, spilla in titanio con rubini e smalto, 2018

On the Thames the high jewelery returns with Masterpiece London 2018. Here are the news ♦ ︎

From 28 June to 4 July 2018, the capital of high jewelery and, more generally, antiques, is Londa. In fact, over the years the Masterpiece London fair has established itself as one of the most important events for works of art, design, furniture and jewelery, from antiquity to the present day. There are 160 international exhibitors. As for jewelry, for example, in this edition there are designers including the Italian Fabio Salini, with a new collection made of carbon fiber, which presents for the first time at the fair. But also Taiwanese designer Cindy Chao and Moussaieff are present at Masterpiece London. There are also period jewelry from Maison such as Cartier, Boucheron and Fabergé offered by specialists such as SJ Phillips, Hancocks, Véronique Bamps and Epoque Fine Jewels. Van Cleef & Arpels, Verdura / Herz-Belperron and Grima also present both their traditional collections and unique contemporary pieces. Giulia Netrese

Boghossian, bracciale con diamanti e perle naturali

Spilla in oro con smalto, brillanti, granati, circa 1850

Paolo Salini, orecchini in oro, zaffiri, diamanti neri, onice

Masterpiece of jewelery in London

Published on June 23, 2017

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Wallache Chan, Damask Silk. Diamanti trillion, tormalina rosa, diamanti fancy, zaffiro rosa, agata bianca

Back to Masterpiece London, art, antiques, but also many jewelries ♦ ︎
Masterpiece London (June 29 – July 5) is one of the highlights for those who love art and antiques. And the jewels. The fair brings together 150 of the best galleries and specialists around the world, and attracts 40,000 visitors on average. As mentioned, there are also jewels and jewelers, with pieces of antiquity, but also new creations. There are Maison like Grima and Hammerle who choose to be present only here in London and Tefaf. From Wallace Chan to Van Cleef & Arpels, from Boghossian to Cartier, Boucheron, Jar and Fabergé, you can find the most interesting pieces with Wartski, Symbolic & Chase, Verdura, Hancocks and SJ Phillips. As always, there there is jewelery created by painters and sculptors, such as Calder, or jewelry that can represent a bridge between different disciplines, such as those of Theo Fennell. Here are some of the most interesting pieces that are present in the exhibition catalog. Federico Graglia

Spilla del 19esimo secolo a forma di ape, con topazi o rosa, diamanti e smeraldi

Bracciale di Louis Osman in argento e turchese, 1968

Bracciale di Boghossian con diamanti e perle

Bracciale di Cartier a forma di due tigri

Collier in oro e diamanti, Afro Basaldella, 1955

Bracciale in platino con diamanti e rubini attribuito a Ruser, 1940

Orecchini in oro, diamanti e granati, firmati Grima

Van Cleef & Arpels, bracciale e clip in oro e diamanti, 1935

Wallache Chan, Bliss and Peace, collana. Una boccetta da fiuto imperiale dal periodo Daoguang (1821-1850) della dinastia Qing si trasforma in un vettore di buon auspicio

Amy Burton from old to new

Published on December 8, 2016

Showroom

Collezione Disorient, bracciale in oro con grossa ametista

Amy Burton, from antique jewelry to modern design, focusing on volume and color.
In the jewelry world (and not only) a wind of fresh air is always good. The novelty is called Amy Burton, but she’s not a nerd of jewelery. She is actually a new designer, but she has breathed all his life in the atmosphere of the jewelry. Her family business is called Hancocks, and is a historical company that deals to buy and sell antique jewels and which was bought by the Burtons in 1992. She, Amy, started through the shelves and drawers of jewelry before studying and graduating in diamond grading and gemology at the Gemmological Association in London. But what good is the study if it is not put into practice? So the designer began to buy unique gemstones. Then, he thought about how to use them. As? With unusual jewelry, but wearable. New, but not extravagant. Two examples: the Disorient collection is characterized by strong geometric lines, volumes and colors. Even using only gold, the shapes are often surprising. With stones, like a big amethyst from 123.70 carats, the jewelry is very exceptional. The Crescendo collection, however, it revolves around the idea of color and shades. Stones put together with different nuances strong, but delicate, is a unique pleasure, as in the great necklace with tourmaline, garnet and amethyst cut in pan form of sugar and matched. Giulia Netrese

Collezione Disorient, anello in oro con acquamarina

Collezione Disorient, anello in oro con diamanti

Collezione Crescendo, collana con ametista, tormalina e granato

Collezione Crescendo, Orecchini con ametista, tormalina e granato

This ring is record

Published on April 16, 2016

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Il doppio anello con diamanti taglio cuscino di Hancocks

Here are pictures of the biggest crossover ring cushion cut diamond in the world. It was made by British jeweler Hancocks, using two large stones 20 carats. The diamond ring is estimated 1.6 million pounds, and is so rare that will have its own security guard in the London Maison store in Burlington Arcade, Mayfair. In Hancocks intentions it is intended to be an engagement ring. The two 20-carat diamonds weigh a total of 41.78 carats. “They are extremely rare, since they have a perfect match. The stones were cut from the same piece of rough diamond, and are truly outstanding, “he explained to Professional Jeweller Stephen Burton, CEO of Hancocks. “In my 40 years working in the jewelry industry I have never seen a pair of stones as big and well-matched as these, which originate from the same rough diamond. They are perfect in terms of cut and are comfortable next to each other.” The ring was designed by Amy Burton, 34, as part of its line Unum. Federico Graglia