London\u2019s flagship summer art fair has established itself as the UK\u2019s leading destination for historic and antique jewellery.<\/p>\n
Treasure House Fair introduced a roster of leading dealers in jewellery, including Martyn Downer, a former Sotheby\u2019s specialist, and Sandra Cronan.<\/p>\n
Martyn Downer, specialist dealer in historic objects and works of art, devoted his stand to a Hamnet-era mourning jewel, rediscovered four centuries after it was immortalised in one of Britain\u2019s most enigmatic and celebrated 17th-century family portraits.<\/p>\n
Set within a dramatic scenography, the pendant resonated with another rediscovered piece of history in the booth of Greens of Cheltenham: a 16th-century ring that belonged to a knight close to Henry VIII and Queen Anne, from a family later erased from the history books after its entanglement in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s line-up brought together long-established London specialists, including S.J. Phillips \u2013 a 150-year-old Mayfair institution beloved by tastemakers such as celebrated media executive Anna Wintour \u2013 and Wartski, the jewellers to The Royal Family whose high-profile commissions included the wedding bands of Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla, as well as that of the Princess of Wales.<\/p>\n
Two British Historic Jewels Rediscovered<\/strong> Martyn Downer devoted his entire stand \u2013 conceived as a dramatic scenography exploring death in the time of Shakespeare \u2013 to this Memento Mori jewel long believed lost to history.<\/p>\n Made to commemorate Sir Thomas Aston\u2019s six-year-old son, Robert, who died in 1634, the heart-shaped Sir Thomas is depicted wearing the jewel in the monumental life-size 1635 masterpiece, \u201cSir Thomas Aston at the Deathbed of His Wife\u201d by John Souch, now in the collection of Manchester Art Gallery.<\/p>\n Although the artist rendered the jewel with remarkable precision, only now \u2013 through the discovery of the actual pendant \u2013 can its full meaning, details, and inscriptions be understood.<\/p>\n Heart-shaped and surrounded by a golden wreath, the pendant jewel is enamelled in black and white with a head skull and inscriptions in Latin on both sides, translated as: \u201bYour Robert died 4th May 1634\u2019 (front) \/ \u2018In whom was our delight, through whom was our consolation, with whom the hope of his parents first perished\u2019 (reverse).<\/p>\n Sir Thomas Tresham\u2019s Signet Ring, circa 1557 Presented by Greens of Cheltenham, London<\/p>\n The gold and crystal ring, of strikingly large proportions and likely intended to be worn over a gloved thumb, was made for Sir Thomas Tresham (d.1559), a knight and one of England\u2019s most ardent Catholic recusants.<\/p>\n A close confidant of Henry VIII and Queen Anne, he was entrusted with some of the monarchs\u2019 most delicate missions \u2013 including welcoming Henry\u2019s fourth wife, Anne of Cl\u00e8ves, at Calais.<\/p>\n Among highlights at the booth of dealer Sandra Cronan, were a magnificent Art Deco bracelet featuring orangish yellow diamonds, possibly attributed to American jeweller Raymond Yard, and an early 1960s bracelet, incorporating rubies and diamonds, made for Tiffany by Oscar Heyman.<\/p>\n Here are some more highlights:<\/p>\n The fair was well attended throughout the latest edition, replete with objects for connoisseurs seeking extraordinary items, such as Andy Warhol art, pre-Raphaelite paintings, Victorian chandeliers, Georgian clocks and contemporary, handcrafted Italian boats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Treasure House Fair, an annual event on the London social scene,\u00a0lures collectors of high luxury, from rare and exquisite jewels to exceptional art, antique silverware, clocks and chandeliers. The latest edition, staged in a huge white marquee in the grounds of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea in central London from June 24-30, was a magnet for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":37178,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,104],"tags":[],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-37153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-design","category-features"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nHamnet-era mourning jewel identified after four centuries.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Martyn.jpg\")
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\npendant poignantly suspends a tassel of the child\u2019s blonde hair.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/strikingly.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/circa.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Crystal.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Deco-1.jpg\")