Millionaires shop for jewels at Masterpiece fair
LONDON, June 30. 2013 – Millionaires rubbed shoulders with celebrities at the launch of London luxury fair Masterpiece, shopping for the rarest jewellery, art and antiques.
“Made in Chelsea” UK reality TV stars, including society columnist and magazine editor Mark-Francis Vandelli, milled around the crowded stands, sipping champagne and admiring the treasures.
“We have seen lots of interest. We definitely want to come back next year,” said Marwan Chatila of Chatila, a first-time exhibitor at Masterpiece who showcased magnificent one-off diamond jewellery pieces from his Bond Street collection.
Dealers said super-rich investors in emerging economies where currencies had slid against the dollar in recent weeks, would look to high-quality Western jewellery and art as a safe-haven investment for their cash.
In fine jewellery, standout pieces at the Royal Hospital Chelsea venue included a pearl once owned by Mary Tudor, which at 64.5 carats is believed to be the third largest well-formed natural seawater pearl in the world, available for a seven-figure sum.
Wartski offered vintage jewels from Faberge. Exquisite Art Deco pieces from Paris jewellers Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels were on show at various stands.
London retailer Hancocks displayed an Art Deco bangle with a striking geometric design by Fouquet.
A Washington-based gallery showcased a huge Roy Lichtenstein painting called “Puzzle Portrait”.
Peter Harrington, a purveyor of rare books, displayed a 1925 first edition “Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, taking a cue from the hit Hollywood movie starring Leonardo Di Caprio released earlier this year.
Upmarket London clock emporium Raffety showcased a long case clock believed to have graced the rooms of a Medici palazzo in Florence, and an unusual George II period walnut bureau bookcase with a clock above the glass doors.
The Masterpiece fair runs until July 3, 2013.
