High jewellery and heirloom jewels for collectors …
Summer is the best time to visit Hillsborough Castle, Co Down, when its historic 100-acre gardens are in full bloom. Visitors can wander the ornamental walled garden, take in the fragrant Granville rose garden, the serene Lime and Yew Tree walks and the formal Jubilee Parterre (redesigned by Catherine FitzGerald). A focal point is Lady Alice’s Temple, gifted as a wedding present to the castle’s chatelaine Lady Alice Hill in 1867 by her brother, the 5th Marquess of Downshire.
Image thanks to Historic Royal Palaces.
For its latest high jewellery “Palace” collection, Boodles was inspired by the stories, details and gardens of six historic palaces – from Kensington Palace, London to Hillsborough Castle, the official residence of the royal family in Northern Ireland since 1925. Boodles has cleverly interpreted Lady Alice’s Temple in a dazzling ring and pendant featuring Ashoka diamonds, aquamarines and mint-green tourmalines. A tassel of stones beneath the piece can be removed, allowing the jewellery to be worn in multiple ways for versatility and style.
Lady Alice’s Temple Aquamarine ring; www.boodles.com.
Lady Alice’s Temple pendant with an oval shape aquamarine with Ashoka diamonds, and brilliant cut diamonds set in platinum, with green tourmalines, aquamarines, tsavorites and diamonds set in platinum; www.boodles.com.
Heirloom jewels such as these are trending, from post-modern silhouettes to Art Deco designs. Up for debate is whether this is down to Taylor Swift, whose vintage-inspired engagement ring brought the spotlight back to ornate and decorative designs. There’s also been a resurgence of precious vintage pieces on the red carpet. Elle Fanning wore a stunning Cartier necklace from 1903 to this year’s Oscars, the Wisteria design complementing the embroidery on her Givenchy gown.
Elle Fanning wearing Cartier. The necklace, originally dating from 1903, is composed of round old-cut diamonds in a millegrain setting.
“At our recent Fine Jewellery & Watches auction, we noted a strong appetite for signed collectible heirloom pieces, where hammer prices surpassed the estimates,” says Claire-Laurence Mestrallet, director at Adam’s Auctioneers, Dublin. A 1950s Buccellati sapphire bangle estimated at €15,000-€20,000 fetched a hammer price of €30,000; a Bulgari Monete necklace from the 1980s estimated at €15,000-€25,000 was sold for €34,000. Rare gemstones, from Kashmir sapphires to yellow diamonds, sky rocketed too but it was a pair of natural pearl earrings estimated at €25,000- €35,000 which fetched a hammer price of €340,000 and added to the sale total, just shy of €3m – the highest record for a jewellery auction in Ireland!
A pair of early 20th century pearl and diamond pendant earrings which sold for €340,000 at Adam’s Auctioneers recent Fine Jewellery & Ladies Watches auction; www.adams.ie.
For collectors, an imagined garden where blossoms unfurl and butterflies take flight are some of the spectacular pieces in vivid yellow diamonds, pink sapphires, and aquamarines featured in Tiffany & Co’s “Blue Book 2026: Hidden Garden” collection. The Tiffany Blue Book was first published in 1845 as “A Catalogue of Useful and Fancy Articles”. Its modern iteration showcases one-of-a-kind pieces designed by chief artistic officer Nathalie Verdeille. The collection also pays homage to designer Jean Schlumberger, renowned for his fantastical creations inspired by flora and fauna as well as the gardens of his friend Bunny Mellon. Within the Hidden Garden collection is a new iteration of Schlumberger’s famous Bird on a Rock motif and brooch, first designed in 1965, when he joined Tiffany & Co.
Paradise Bird chrysoprase brooch, from the Blue Book 2026: Hidden Garden, Tiffany & Co.
Another instantly recognisable motif is Louis Vuitton’s Monogram, created in 1896 by Georges Vuitton who was inspired by a love of Japanism. It’s seen in the effortlessly elegant new Colour Blossom Fine Jewellery collection, made for stacking and available in pink and white mother-of-pearl, onyx, malachite and the eye-catching, navy-blue hued sodalite (or salt stone).
Colour Blossom BB Star Pendant in pink gold with pink mother of pearl and diamond, Louis Vuitton.
If summer jewellery is defined by floral motifs (from Diorriviera’s pretty Brush and Broom necklace to Alex Monroe’s whimsical collections) it’s also infused with travel symbols. On my wishlist: a piece from the Marco Bicego Collection inspired by destinations such as Marrakech and the Masai Mara, Kenya.
Masai three-band diamond pavé ring, Marco Bicego; www.applebys.ie.
A new launch at Design Works, Dublin 2 is designer Sam Lafford’s new Quattro collection, in 18ct gold and platinum with natural diamonds. The name comes from the four cardinal points, the direction of the compass. Sam explains, “A symbol of guidance and purpose, these pieces are a silent reminder and recalibration – a way of saying, I know which way I am going”.
Platinum and natural diamond Quattro pendant, Sam Lafford; www.designyard.com.
