Category Archives: News

H for HPHT

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Lab-Grown Diamonds

What is HPHT?

HPHT stands for high pressure, high temperature and is one of the primary methods used to grow diamonds in a lab.

This diamond growth process subjects carbon to extreme temperatures and pressures and is meant to replicate the extreme heat and pressure conditions deep within the earth where natural diamonds form.

This pressure is what makes the difference between:

Scientists first grew diamonds in a laboratory in the mid-1950s. These diamonds were too small for jewellery, however. Production of larger, gem-quality crystals began in the mid-1990s for both jewellery and industrial purposes.

The newer method, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), involves filling a vacuum chamber with carbon-containing gas that crystallizes on a synthetic diamond seed. This method uses lower temperatures and pressures than HPHT.

Turns into:

Coring to remove the outer layer is needed once the process is finished, about 6-10 weeks later.

CVD is best at producing 1-3 carat diamonds in the range J-G colour. They are often treated with HPHT to improve their colour. Whether they are subsequently treated or not, these are synthetic diamonds.

Some people might refer to lab-grown diamonds as imitations or simulants, but this is incorrect. Actual imitations like cubic zirconia or synthetic moissanite only look like diamonds and have very different chemical and physical properties that allow trained gemmologists to identify them easily. However, lab-grown diamonds are more challenging to detect.

There are some characteristics which help gemmologists in laboratories identify if a diamond is synthetic and, if so, to understand which method had been used to grow the diamond.

Some synthetic diamonds might glow for a minute or more after an ultraviolet lamp is turned off. This is called phosphorescence and is typically only seen in synthetic diamonds.

GIA, one of the leading gem laboratories, use a fluorescence imaging instrument called a DiamondView™ to examine diamonds. This instrument reveals the growth patterns within diamond crystals.

The real challenge comes with identifying tiny diamonds called melée (below), which make up a dramatic portion of the diamond trade.

So why are these diamonds so popular?

Simply put, lab grown diamonds are more affordable than mined diamonds of comparable size and quality. They can sell for up to 75% less than mined diamonds, due to lower expenses, a shorter supply chain, and a more competitive market.

It does not mean that lab grown diamonds are “cheap”: the process of cutting, polishing, and certification also carries a similar cost whether they be mined or lab grown.

However, because the mined diamond industry’s supply is restricted and controlled, it leads to artificially inflated prices, which does not happen in the lab grown diamond industry.

Ethical and eco-friendly

Approximately 10 square metres of earth is disturbed and almost 3,000 kgs of rock waste is generated for each carat of diamond that is unearthed.

It was highlighted in a report that “lab grown diamonds are seven times less impactful to the environment than mined diamonds, use significantly fewer resources and emit a fraction of the air pollution.”

Essentially, lab grown diamonds are the only ethical and eco-friendly diamonds, guaranteed to be conflict-free.

Comparables:

Whichever diamond is chosen, lab grown or natural, they are always the best option for engagement rings and hardwearing jewellery, being the strongest material known to science, rating 10 on the Mohs scale.

The Mohs scale of mineral hardness was created by Friedrich Mohs in 1822 and determines the scratch resistance of minerals when scratched by another mineral and is used to manufacture everyday objects: your mobile phone’s screen glass is made of a material that scratches at level 6, some at level 7.

This differs from diamond simulants such as cubic zirconia and moissanite, where the quality is nowhere as close as that to diamonds allowing them to easily scratch, chip, and lose their shine as well as being heavier and therefore more uncomfortable to wear.

To be certain of the identity of the diamond you are buying, make sure you buy a diamond with a certificate from a reputable laboratory such as GIA who offer diamond grading reports or lab-grown diamond reports.

Constable at the V&A

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Last month I was given the most wonderful treat. I started my morning in the V&A picture rooms, looking at the Turners and Constables in the Sheepshank Bequest. How his descendants must hate his philanthropy; there are hundreds of millions of pounds worth of paintings hanging there.

Then I moved on to the Isabel Constable Bequest. Isabel was the last surviving child of John Constable and in September 1888 gifted the residual contents of her father’s studio to the Museum. There are 395 oil paintings, sketches, drawings, watercolours and sketchbooks in the bequest, of which a mere twenty odd were on view.

However, I had the good fortune to be taken behind the scenes to the secure lock-up, where the others are stored, by Emily Knight, daughter of my old friend Richard Knight (ex-head of Old Masters at Christie’s, London), who curates these treasures for the Museum.

I am particularly interested in Constable’s oil sketches, most of which were painted out of doors and many inscribed with a specific date and time of day, revealing much about his working practices. Here I was, backstage, taking them off the racks and holding them in my hands for a closer look. I have done this sort of thing before, so they were perfectly safe! Nevertheless, to be holding such precious objects in my hands was a great privilege. Sketches by constable can make seven figure sums these days.

Oil sketches were not always so precious, well not in commercial terms anyway. Constable never sold any, but he had been sketching in oil from around 1802, for example “Dedham Vale: Evening” when he was 27 and was particularly active from 1808 onwards. In his lifetime they were not considered independent works of art, by John Constable or any of his contemporaries, but formed a database of scenes he felt worthy of recording, which might be used as inspiration for large easel pictures in the future. He was an inveterate recorder of things around him and travelled with a large and small sketchbook and pencil everywhere he went, even on honeymoon! He is famous for saying that he never saw an ugly thing in nature and no man has ever devoted his life to portraying the landscape of his childhood with as much passion and brilliance as John Constable did. Indeed, it is the brilliance of these vivacious and spontaneous oil sketches dashed off on card, paper, strips of canvas, wood, or whatever came to hand, that chimes so well with modern taste. When trying to catch the play of light, as a rainstorm passes over the sea, as in “Weymouth Bay” of 1816, Constable does not have time to conform to the painting style of his own age, as a result of which, his oil sketches are timeless.

A selection of these dynamic little paintings is about to leave for an exhibition in Romania and then on to further venues in Eastern Europe. I was glad to have the chance to see them before they go and wish them bon voyage.

Marilyn Monroe – Shot Sage Blue Marilyn

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She was THE film star of her day, and at the auction on 9th May 2022 at Christie’s New York, she proved that her star power was as strong as ever!

In under four minutes of bidding, Andy Warhol’s 1964 painting of Marilyn Monroe, Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, sold for $195,000,000 to an unknown buyer, making it the highest price achieved for any American work of art at auction – comfortably beating the world record of $110,500,000 that Basquiat’s Untitled, 1982 made at a Sotheby’s auction in New York in 2017.

Described as ‘the most significant 20th-century painting to come to auction in a generation’, Shot Sage Blue Marilyn is one of only 5 works Warhol produced in this series – each in different colour variations.

The paintings were stored at The Factory, his studio on East 47th Street, Manhattan. It was here that the artist, Dorothy Podber, stopped by and asked Warhol if she could “shoot” them. Presuming she meant with a camera, he said yes, but instead she pulled out a revolver and shot all but the turquoise print in the forehead! Warhol had the four paintings restored and they became known as the “Shot Marilyns.”

The work was the undoubted and much-anticipated star lot of the Christie’s Monday sale, which itself kicked off New York’s spring season of mega auctions. As such, it was always going to attract huge interest, eventually selling to Larry Gagosian for an undisclosed client.

The sale itself was made up of 36 lots consigned from the estate of the legendary Swiss dealers Thomas and Doris Ammann, with all of the proceeds going toward their foundation, which supports health care and educational programs for children. Interestingly and very old school in approach, none of the works were backed by financial guarantees, which is a system whereby the auction houses provide sellers with a minimum price at which a third party or the auction house has committed to purchase the work even if it fails to sell on the day.

Perhaps a risky approach one might think, however, after 2 years of pent-up demand from collectors, and with huge amounts of money sloshing around, and with such star works on offer, it was a risk well worth taking, with the overall sale achieving $318,000,000 for the Ammann charitable foundation. Lucky them!

It all goes to show that quality will always win out, and the best works will always achieve the strongest prices. That said, having Marilyn on your side can’t hurt either!

F is for Filigree

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The word filigree derives from Latin “filum” meaning thread and “granum” grain. It is a form of intricate metalwork, usually made of gold or silver. The Latin words gave filigrana in Italian which itself became filigrane in 17th-century French and shortened from filigreen in English.

The technique consists of using tiny beads or twisted threads, sometimes both, soldering them together or to the surface of an object, such as a bracelet or brooch for example. The result is a highly artistic and detailed work of art.

Its origins can be traced back to the Egyptians and along the coast of the Mediterranean. Archaeological digs have found the technique to be incorporated into jewellery dating as far back as 3,000BC.

“Necklace in gold filigree of Queen Twosret and earrings of her husband Seti II. Discovered with a cache of jewellery inscribed with the names of Seti II and Twosret in the Gold Tomb (KV56) at the Valley of the Kings, West Thebes.

The cornflower and ball beads in this necklace were made by soldering wire rings of several different diameters into the desired forms. The piece is an early example of the technique known as filigree. New Kingdom, Late 19th Dynasty, ca. 1292- 1189 BC. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.”

It was greatly used by Portuguese goldsmiths, using both gold and silver filigree.

The elaborate metalwork also included techniques such as granulation, wire and scroll.

The small beads are applied to the surface through heat with visible solder. This technique was used by the Etruscan civilisation of ancient Italy in Tuscany, western Umbria and
northern Lazio (700-300 BC). Its style was made famous with Etruscan revival jewellery, modelled after the ancient Roman empire. The most famous jewellery designer to create Etruscan Revival pieces was Castellani.

“The head in the form of a thyrsus, an ancient Greek stylised pine cone, with twisted wirework decorations, bearing Castellani’s double C’s hallmark on the base, all to a yellow gold pin, circa 1860, measuring 2.5 x 1.1cm, the pin measuring 4.9cm long, gross weight 4.7 grams.

A collectable stick pin in the shape of a pinecone, made in London around 1860 by Castellani. This charming pin features twisted wirework filigree decoration, a technique used in Ancient Etruscan jewellery, and would today make a perfect and eye-catching addition to a silk tie.”

Though it is an ancient jewellery technique, it is still frequently used in today’s jewellery, especially in Asia and particularly in Indian jewellery.

The technique should not be confused with cannetille. Filigree’s fragility and delicateness suggests lace, in a flat form. Cannetille has a 3-dimensional aspect to it, sometimes with added repoussé work to it – which is a method of hammering metal into relief from the reverse side.

There was a renewed popularity for filigree in Italia and France between 1660 to the late 19th century, with the fashion reaching its peak in 1830.

A decade later, the precise and time-consuming technique of filigree and cannetille had been replaced by repoussé, which offered a similarly inexpensive artistic and decorative way of setting stones.

Like many metalwork techniques, its origin is far behind us but its use and technique are forever evolving. It is understandable that this craftmanship would be a favourite for different cultures
and throughout time. Though some modern pieces of that style may be inexpensive, the cost of purchasing a traditional parure reflects the art and the know-how that is filigree.

“A fine Georgian citrine and gold parure, consisting of a necklace, a pair of earrings and a pair of bracelets, the necklace consisting of an oval-cut faceted citrine surrounded by a gold frame of foliate design, suspending three detachable drop-like pendants, each centrally-set with a pear-shaped citrine, all suspended by a double strand of tubular mesh chain with box clasp of similar
design, set with an oval faceted citrine, each bracelet with a clasp of similar design, each centrally set with an oval faceted citrine, to a gold mesh ribbon-like bracelet, the earrings of matching gold foliate design consisting of an oval-cut faceted citrine suspending a pear-shaped faced citrine, all mounted in yellow and rose gold, circa 1820, accompanied by original fitted box, the necklace measuring approximately 38cm long, gross weight for the suite 71.5 grams.” Selling for £37,500

Watches Update

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Well, if we thought that 2020 couldn’t be surpassed in the watch world – we could not have been further from the truth!
We must start (we really do) with what was without doubt the biggest drop of 2021 – the Tiffany/Patek Phillipe 5711 – 1A/018

We are all very aware that one of the most desirable watches in the Patek Phillipe arsenal is due to be retired this year and as such the last 18 months have been spent by watch aficionados talking about how the standard Patek Phillipe 5711 has risen to the ranks of a £175,000 wristwatch when compared to a few years ago – it really is astonishing.

So, when the powers that be decided a send-off to conquer all others was required – they called in the big guns, and that robin egg blue dial appeared from nowhere. 170 will be produced and available exclusively from Tiffany boutiques and one can only imagine how these may perform on the secondary market – in a recent charity auction, one of the 170 sold for a jaw dropping $6.5 million, which is simply staggering for a watch that retails at a few bucks over $52,000.

Now some people amongst you will be aware that Tiffany has recently been acquired by LVMH and this moment has clearly been defined by the 5711 – 1A/018, it even has a little nod to the recent acquisition on the engraving of the caseback – a little brash? Maybe, but I am fairly sure that most watch people won’t notice the difference and hope that the work between the two companies will continue as it has done for the last 170 years.

As far as the rest of 2021 happened – it was pretty much a continuation of 2020, with rises across the board of Patek Phillipe, Audemars Piguet, and of course… Rolex sports models.

At the start of 2021, a 116610LN could be acquired on the secondary market for just short of £10,000 now, it’s closer to £16,000. Considering back in the pre covid days of 2018, on a good day you could get one for closer to £6000 – it hasn’t been a bad investment and if you bought the green bezel model – well that’s a completely different story!

Other highlights of 2021 have included the Bremont ENG300 – Whilst the English brothers may have had to fight off some arguments about the origin of parts of their watches, this new model has what appears to be a well-researched in house movement, that really is a game changer for the UK watch industry.

The Cartier Solarbeat, is certainly a watch for the risk taker – a person that wants a classical design with one of the most forward-thinking developments of the year – a solar powered Cartier, its doesn’t sound right saying it, but could you tell the difference? At a really good price point as well, one would have to be brave to bet against it being a huge success.

Finally, what has to be my watch of the year is the Tissot PRX, starting at under £300 (yes, three hundred pounds) it is an amazing retro design with hints of the big boys, but with a price tag that makes it far more accessible to enthusiasts on a lower budget as well.

What will 2022 bring? It’s difficult to say but with watch shows being planned for throughout the year, and design teams back at their desks I am sure that there will be a few surprises ahead!

E for Eternity Rings

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Eternal love

How better to declare one’s love but by gifting an eternity ring?

Sometimes called Infinity ring, it is a band set with identical gems throughout. Just as the snake rings represented undying love, eternity rings seem to be the modern fashionable jewellery item to state such devotion.

Traditional materials

It is thought eternity rings have been gifted as far back as the 4th century BC. They were made of plants, such as hemp, or reeds and even elephant hair.

A tradition that went long into the Victorian era. Nowadays, these bands are made with precious metals such as gold and platinum. The stones have evolved from paste to sapphire, ruby in the 18th century to diamonds in the second half of the 20th century.

Engagement rings

Until the 1960s, an engagement ring would traditionally have been set with a diamond single-stone. It is rumoured that due to the surplus of small diamonds, approximately 0.25ct and smaller, the jewellery giant De Beers created a campaign in which they would use these smaller stones, set them in Eternity rings and promote this new essential jewel to couples who had already been married for several years.

Range of price

Eternity rings will come a wide range of price. What will impact this price? Materials such as the metal used will be the first component. A ring can be made of silver, gold or platinum, being the most expensive.

Secondly the stones will affect the budget the most. When an eternity ring is set with precious stones, it is important to remember how much carat weight the ring has as a total but also looking at each stone individually. The larger each single stone is, the pricier the ring as a whole. The “purity” of the stones is an element that cannot be forgotten either. Whether it be rubies, sapphires or diamond, the clearer the stones, the more desirable they are and therefore the more expensive they will be. We refer to this grading scale for diamonds as the four C: colour, carat, cut and clarity.

Navaratna ring

Navaratna – from the Sanskrit Nine (Nava) Gems (Ratna) – jewellery consists of an item of jewellery, necklace, bracelet

or ring, set with nine gems: ruby, diamond, pearl, red coral, hessonite, blue and yellow sapphire, emerald and cat’s eye. The Navaratna rings can be considered as a form of eternity ring, present in almost all Asian countries, beyond India where they originated from, regardless of religion. There are a few rules and traditions as to how to place the stones and how it should be worn. Women are to wear the ring on their left finger while the men on the opposite hand.

The ruby which represents the sun, should be placed in the middle and the gems should be of the upmost quality, making these jewels very precious indeed.

Infinite brands

Eternity rings are so popular that every luxury brand has taken to create and promote them as unique and essential jewels in a lady’s collection.

Tri-factor

Eternity rings possess the tri-factor: they make a statement all the while remaining discreet, and elegant. Who best to illustrate this than the Duchess of Cambridge, who not only wears her wedding band along with her engagement sapphire and diamond cluster ring but also a diamond eternity ring on top. The Eclipse diamond ring by Annoushka, is set with 0.23ct total of diamonds and retails at £1,500. It is said to have been a gift from the Duke of Cambridge for the birth of their first child, Prince George.

Your choice

So when should an eternity ring be gifted? Which finger should be worn on? Which brand to choose? Which gem? Which metal? So many choices to choose from it’s no wonder they have swept the jewellery market with ease. Some might say, it should be gifted after decades of marriage, others prefer to gift it as an engagement band, some may want diamonds, others precious stones such as sapphires. Offered in a variety of style and at various price range, as one of Britain’s favourite matchmaker Cilla Black would say, “The decision is yours”!

D is for Diopside

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Diopside is an igneous and metamorphic rock. This means it forms from the solidification of its molten state and has been subjected to extreme heat and pressure deep below the Earth’s surface, very much like how diamonds are formed.

It is found across the globe and more readily available in the Earth’s mantle than at the surface.

Commercial diopside can be found in Siberia, Russia, though in limited amounts. The prized chrome diopside (green colour) is sourced in Europe (Austria, Finland and Italy), South America (Brazil), Canada (Ontario and Quebec), the state of New York, Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma) Madagascar and South Africa.

What do we mean by commercial? Stones that are of a particular quality that can be cut and set into jewellery.

Although there are several deposit sites none of them produce regularly or in significant quantities and is therefore not usually mined due to the lack of return.

Diopside rates a 5 to 6/10 on the Mohs scale. The Mohs scale of mineral hardness was created by Friedrich Mohs in 1822 and determines the scratch resistance of minerals when scratches by another mineral.

The Mohs scale is used to manufacture everyday objects: your mobile phone’s screen glass is made of a material that scratches at level 6, some at level 7.

Diopside has fair toughness and is suitable to be set in jewellery, however it should be worn with caution and should be handled with care as it risks being scratched or broken.

Diopside comes in a various colours ranging from greyish white, light blue to purple, light green to vivid green, brown, black.

The most sought-after colour is green, called chrome diopside. It owes its hue to an increase of chromium.

This rough chrome diopside ring (pictured above) sold for £3,187 (including premium) in June 2021.

The other popular variation is star diopside which occurs in black (pictured below).

It displays chatoyancy (or cat’s eye): a 4-rayed star caused by reflection of light at needle-shaped inclusions of magnetite. It makes for a lovely gem to be set in brooches, rings and pendants as the star will shift along with movement and light. A good alternative to star sapphire for more modest budgets and a real “waow” effect!

This brooch (pictured below) is up for auction at the end of May with an estimate of AU$ 600-800 (GBP 340-450) with Bonhams.

Because diopside is a metamorphic rock, it is used as an indicator for diamond deposits. Diamonds arrive to the Earth’s surface through deep volcanic eruptions and travel through pipes, very much like chrome diopside. Hence when the green stone is found at the surface, diamonds could be near. However, these pipes will only ever produce around 2 carats per ton.

It’s easy to understand the appeal of chrome diopside as an alternative to the more expensive green gem that is emerald, but its popularity is moderate for several reasons. As we know, diopside is soft on the Mohs scale and therefore risks easy damage. The look of chrome diopside also works to its detriment. It has a vitreous and sugary aspect as opposed to clear, transparent emeralds. It is for these reasons that the stone is less known by the public but all too famous amongst diamond miners!

Bridget Riley, Turning 91

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‘Nature is the origin and feeds what I make’

As Bridget Riley turns 91 we look back at the work of a truly groundbreaking artist whose life and work is influenced by nature in all its forms.

‘I am a painter and that’s what I do’ said Bridget Riley in a recent BBC interview and looking back to the 60s you see just how fresh and new her work still is and as the years have gone on it only looks better, fresher and more new. Bridget Riley has spent 60 years pushing the boundaries of what is possible in art and continues to do so. Cornwall has been a major influence on Bridget Riley’s work almost from birth. Her great grandfather had built a Cornish family home on the coast in the 19th Century and at the outbreak of the War in 1939, Bridget along with her sister mother and aunt decamped to Cornwall where they remained for the duration. Her father was away fighting and early on in the war was declared ‘missing’ which remained the case until happily at the cessation of hostilities the family was reunited. So in these formative years her influences were all female as they shared a small four room Cornish cottage. Bridget didn’t go to school for the five years the family was in Cornwall which she described as ‘heavenly, there was no transport and nowhere to go and no particular reason to go anywhere ‘ She was able to absorb the world around her watching the way waves move the unique shapes they make, there was just nothing else to do but to look and appreciate the world around her in this extraordinarily beautiful coastal landscape. There was a war on so there was no petrol for private cars and no public transport so you had to walk everywhere. Bridget’s fate as an artist was probably sealed during this time as both her mother and aunt had studied Art at Goldsmiths College so probably the foundations of her artistic future where laid and set during these heavenly five years The shapes the sea makes as it rolls in and out on the tides were endlessly fascinating to Bridget. As she says herself ‘they will never be the same again each and every time they’re different, every single wave every single ripple, every single breaking of a wave on a shore or rock all are unique and have never happened before and will never happen again.

After the war Bridget began her studies in London and was classically trained at Goldsmiths College then followed by the Royal College of Art for some more classical training, all focusing on painting, drawing and sculpture. Her class mates included Peter Blake, Frank Auerbach and John Bratby. Her student work while at the Royal College is very much what was expected of you in the 1950s, sombre and faintly French narrative paintings nothing at all like you associate with Bridget’s work now. Bridget left the RCA in 1955 and intent on being a painter she set out to find her style, she found the work of Georges Seurat resonated and strongly influenced her then and for the rest of her life. She saw in his work something similar to what she was looking for, something new and different. For a while during 1959, she experimented by both adopting his style and by faithfully copying one of his pictures called

‘The Bridge at Cordova’ a work dating from 1887. Her progress towards what we see as her familiar work today moved more rapidly as the 60s dawned, when everything that was needed to change social barriers and norms fell away and everyone was open to new ideas and looking for ways to progress fashion and trends further and faster than ever before. Bridget viewed the Art world as pretty stagnant in the 1950s, indeed she had a particular phrase she used to describe it ‘ Infectious apathy and vicious insularity’.

At this time the Whitechapel Gallery in London was at the epicentre of what was new and happening in Art, its director Brian Robertson was bringing over the work of the American Abstract Expressionists such as Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock which encouraged the young British artists of Bridget’s generation to claim this space to showcase their work with confidence that it was all new and fresh and of its time.

Bridget was inspired to create work that looked like nothing anyone had ever seen before, she not only broke the mould she literally blew it up! ‘The Kiss’ appears as one of her earliest groundbreaking images in 1961, in her first show in London when she really hit her stride and she had finally broken away from all the 19th Century conventions she had been taught about constructing a work of art.

We use ‘Abstract’ to describe Bridget’s work, but for me and many others including Bridget it’s not the right or appropriate word, it’s something else that draws from

nature and shows nature. In these early years all of her work is black and white, what changes are the shapes, forms and movement variations. By 1962 discs appears with the movement expressed by the fading of the discs from left to right strong towards the centre and then fading out towards the sides this picture marks the beginning of experimentation between what the artist sees and what the viewer experiences, experimenting all the time with what it feels like to look at a work.

At the same time, the early 60’s witnessed the arrival of the Op Art, Psychedelic Movement with the appearance of mind bending art experiences teamed up with light and mechanical ways of making patterns to create optical illusions for an audience hungry for Psychedelic experiences.

It was a blockbuster exhibition of mixed International Contemporary Artists at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1965 that sealed Bridget’s reputation as a major international artist. The exhibition took NY by storm, welcome as this was Bridget was totally taken by surprise and made uncomfortable by seeing how fast her art flowed out from MOMA onto the streets of NY. Within days of the opening her images had been siphoned off onto dresses, skirts T-shirts and fabrics of all sorts which defined the era for the rest of the 60’s.

However in commercial terms it was all out of her hands, imagine creating a series of paintings for a major exhibition and in the next morning it’s key elements are all in stock in Bloomingdale’s, all without your permission or involvement.

Colour appears in 1967 when along with the sculptor Philip King Bridget is selected to represent Britain at the Venice Biennial, where she becomes the first Briton and the first woman to win the International prize for painting.

Bridget’s work has continued to evolve and change over the intervening sixty years, in 2015 she returned to Black and White, Discs re-appear in her Annenberg Court painting for the National Gallery and now her work brightens up the long corridor walls of major hospitals in London and Liverpool. A trip to Egypt in the late 70’s brought a new series of works limited to the Egyptian palette of five colours only and the market for her work, once focussed only on the 1960’s has now broadened out to include all and everything and we all at Doerr Dallas wish Bridget a very happy 91st birthday on April 24th.

Drama of Light and Land: The Martyn Gregory Collection of British Art

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For the second time in two years, a good friend of mine has offered a portion of his stock for sale at one of the major London Auction Houses.

Last time around it was Rafael Valls at Sotheby’s, consigning Old Master oil paintings. I need not have fretted, all but 2 sold, but this time, it was Martyn Gregory offering British watercolours at Christie’s, a far more challenging proposition.

There are several reasons why watercolours do not chime with modern taste. The first is their fragility. We now know that light comes in particles and waves. We have always known that it generates heat and it fades watercolour pigments, if it hits them directly. This can take just a matter of a few years. They are also susceptible to attack from silverfish, if they are coated in Gum Arabic, the substance which made Osama Bin Laden’s family fortune, you may remember, and which was much used in the 19th Century by watercolourists to give depth to the colours. Silverfish love to eat Gum Arabic and when they do, it takes the pigment with it, leaving blank squiggles across the paper!

Watercolours are often painted on acidic paper and this can discolour and damage the pigments too. Furthermore, the big exhibition ‘machines’, the enormous watercolours ‘finished’ to a high degree, which the O.W.S. (Old Watercolour Society) and others produced in the early 19th Century, with a view to them holding their own, visually, when hung in exhibitions next to oil paintings, are totally out of fashion.

This is the background against which Martyn’s British Landscapes were offered. Christie’s were confident the sale would succeed and to sell 149 out of 194 lots proves them to be right. However, a closer analysis of what happened is revealing. The sale total was £559,864 including buyers’ premium, which adds nearly 34% to the hammer price. The lots averaged out at just over £3,700 each. When I was at Bonhams 10 years ago, we calculated that any lot selling for under £10,000 lost us money. (In this sale only 14 lots hit this threshold and that is including premiums) It must be the same for Christie’s. We can only speculate that they hope to get the rest of his stock in due course!

The landscapes that appealed most were wild places with dramatic stormy skies or lowering cloudy sunsets or both. The first 5 to exceed £10,000 were all Scottish scenes. Lot 5, the Turner of Oxford of Loch Torridon under a moody dawn sky was a very impressive example of this genre, as was his Sunset over Loch Coruisk on the Isle of Skye.

There was a classic harvesting scene by de Wint, painted on a warm late summer day at £15,000 and a fascinating and rare whaling scene in the Arctic by John Cleveley which made £20,000. However, despite these watercolours being well-chosen examples, in good condition, selected by an expert with a very good eye and promoted by the Christie’s International publicity machine, one came away with the feeling that British Watercolours, which were so sought after by collectors in previous decades, are somewhat passé.

In real terms most are worth a tenth of what they were 50 years ago. When will it be time for their re-assessment?

Art Business Conference Report

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Jonathan Horwich, Modern & Contemporary specialist reports on the London Art Business Conference, 25 March 2002.

The scene was set as I entered the Gothic gateway into Deans Yard, behind me was Westminster Abbey and opening out in front of me was Westminster School to my left and in the air Westminster Abbey choir practising for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Memorial service for the following week. It felt and sounded a bit like a scene from a Harry Potter film as I walked up to the Church House were, after two years, finally we’re all back together again enjoying some proper face to face communication, which is so important in the Art world.

On arrival I bumped into Melanie Gerlis, the conference chair who is a powerhouse presenter and well able to hold the attention of a room full of noisy Art professionals. Melanie gave the opening address which was followed by a panel discussion on Sustainability and the Art World. The panel included Chris Bentley from AXA, speaking about sustainably insuring art in transit; Tom Woolston from Christie’s spoke about his firm’s 10 years to net zero programme. Imogen Prus from shippers Convelio spoke about new materials and methods of shipping and their plans to reduce the use of air transport. Lastly Cliodhna Murphy the Director of sustainability at International Contemporary Art dealers.

Hauser and Wirth spoke about their plans to reduce the galleries carbon footprint.

Louisa Buck from the Art Newspaper was moderating the discussions which focussed on reducing air travel which is the most significant and heavy polluter. The aim is to try and reduce movement of art by air, the majority of which is for auctions and travelling exhibitions, while at the same time not depressing the market. It’s a hard trick to pull off, there were discussions about moving art by sea container which comes with its own difficulties. The captain of the ship has the right to move or worse remove any container on board even if it is full of valuable pictures. However, I think we can look forward confidently to significant changes in sustainability for shipping in the art world going forward.

This was followed by an inspiring all-female discussion panel outlining just how extraordinarily quickly the African Contemporary Art market has moved up in value in very recent years, up 44% since 2020! particularly at Sotheby’s who only began selling in this category in 2016 following the arrival of the extraordinarily hard working and dedicated specialist, Hannah O’Leary. Not only is she running Sotheby’s very successful auctions in this category but she is also traveling the world, leading fundraising initiatives across Africa & Europe to enable artists to have access to safe living and studio accommodation, so they can just focus on making art.

Our next panel was also an all-female panel discussion on ‘women innovating in art’ with new tech. and finance. Stacie McCormack talked about her App, FairartFair, which enables you to buy art direct online via virtual exhibitions and studios tours all at very reasonable prices with no commission, it’s an amazing App. which is continuously evolving.

Anna Lowe of Smartify was a very inspiring speaker, she set up the app Smartify from scratch, the app allows you to take a photograph of any work of art in any museum and it will instantly identify the piece and give you the artists name and work details whatever and wherever it is in the world you’re looking at… the app was developed hand in hand with all the museums cooperation so they have embraced the idea and are moving away from earphone headset guides that you have to hand in at the end of your tour.

Smartify enables you to know what you are looking at and retains the art you saw on every trip so when you get home you can share the images and details in all the usual ways from any trip. The museum can use the App to see how popular their museum is in real time and also which are their exhibits are the most popular. I spoke to Anna later and she told me she is looking for new investment for the expansion of Smartify.

Rebecca Fine told us about her business, Athena Finance, they loan against owned art in order to allow owners to have liquidity on demand.

The final panel discussion on NFT’s was another fascinating session, with a strong cross-section of panel members including Xin Li-Cohen (founder of TR Lab, an NFT portal)

Alex Estorick (founder, right-click-save) who for some inexplicable reason had shaved his head and was wearing a bright green freebee tennis sweat band) Joe Kennedy (Unit London) and Brendan Dawes (NFT artist).

Alex’s presentation was an extraordinary tour de force, his app ‘right click save’ really led us through the pluses and minuses of NFT’s and his depth of knowledge and grasp of the details was quite extraordinary.

Joe Kennedy of unit London similarly is involved in NFT’s and was a contrast to Alex in his description and very engaging. Brendan Dawes the NFT artist was a revelation, he told us that as an artist, NFT’s have absolutely transformed his life, he was no longer thinking how to pay his bills, he was now very comfortably off, making art and engaging with his collectors, often one-to-one through the website ‘discord’ that enables collectors to communicate directly with Brendan and other NFT artist. He did say that it sometimes can be quite exhausting but stimulating, after an hour with 1000 voices asking you questions you really need a lie down!

Xin Li-Cohen (TR Lab) was personally involved in advising Chinese clients on the record breaking $69 million sale of Beeple’s NFT ‘5,000 days’ sold at Christie’s New York in 2021. She founded TR lab after the auction to sell NFT’s. Brendan Dawes is one of TR Lab’s top artists.

The NFT and Contemporary African art panels were highlights for me, however the whole event was wonderfully run and gave out very positive vibes confirming that the Art World is busy getting back to normal…