Jewellery talk for Valentine’s Day
APPROPRIATELY for Valentine’s Day, Rochdale Antiques Society is presenting a talk on jewellery. Susan Rumfitt is making a return visit to deliver a talk on Edwardian jewellery on February 14.
The Edwardian era, like the Georgian and Victorian eras before it, derives its name from the reign of a king, Edward VII (1901-1910).
This is the final jewellery period to be defined by a British monarch.
The era begins earlier, during the declining years of the reign of Queen Victoria and ends a few years after Edward’s death, with the onset of the First World War. To the rest of Europe this period was characterised as ‘La Belle Époque’.
Developing and evolving alongside the Edwardian style were the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts styles, growing out of a rejection of machinemade jewellery and a prolonged period of mourning jewellery.
Susan Rumfitt is an independent jewellery specialist based in Harrogate and one of the experts on BBC Antiques Roadshow.
She said: “People will queue for three or four hours for a few minutes of your time at the roadshow events. Whatever the outcome of the valuation, it’s important to make sure the person goes away with a smile.”
Susan is passionate about jewellery and has built up her expertise with some of the UK’s top auction houses.
She developed an interest in the history of art at school and then discovered a passion for antiques when she attended Harrogate to study a history of art A level at Harrogate Tutorial College.
She studied for her postgraduate degree in decorative arts at Glasgow University, in association with Christie’s Auctioneers.
Following a jewellery and silver traineeship with Christie’s, Susan moved to Phillips in Edinburgh as head of the jewellery and silver department.
In 1998 she moved to London as an international jewellery specialist, where she established and ran a second jewellery department for Phillips Auctioneers.
Now, from her base in Harrogate, she values, sells and acquires jewellery on behalf of her clients, holds jewellery courses throughout the UK and writes articles for Home and Antiques and Antique Collecting magazines.
She is also an accredited lecturer for the National Association of Decorative Fine Arts Societies and for a number of organisations, including the Goldsmith’s Hall and Friends of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Hear Susan talk at 7.30pm on Wednesday, February 14, at St Vincent’s Community Centre, Caldershaw Road, off Edenfield Road, Rochdale. Tickets cost £5.
Call 01706 844026 or 812242 or email roch antiquesoc@hotmail. com.