Jewellery Focus March 2019 | Page 5

MONTH IN REVIEW GO ONLINE www.jewelleryfocus.co.uk START: THE MONTH’S NEWS BEGAN HERE CRIME £27,000 worth of rings stolen from Chichester jewellery shop STORE OPENINGS Tasaki opens first European boutique on New Bond Street Japanese firm Tasaki has opened its flagship European store on Bond Street, London. The listed 5,015 square-foot boutique has a geometric interior focus “echoing the balanced rectangular frame design” of Tasaki’s Ginza Flagship façade. The boutique consists of seven floors, comprising of a series of intimate areas dedicated to showcasing a range of jewellery collections, including Tasaki Atelier, designed by Tasaki’s creative director Prabal Gurung, alongside its original designs of Tasaki Collection Line and M/G Tasaki. The new boutique will also house eight exclusive high jewellery creations to celebrate the opening of the flagship including its new ‘Brilliant Grace’ collection which takes inspiration from the ocean. Announcing the opening, the company stated: “Tasaki’s world of modern elegance is reflected in the construction of the new Boutique and its unique range of jewellery created to the highest standards of craftsmanship, which awaits visitors at this exciting new location.” After frantic bidding over two telephone lines, bidders in the room and online. The bids kept rising until the fascinating piece of jewellery was bought over the internet by an Australian buyer Alex Duffy, jewellery specialist , Fellows Auctioneers March 2019 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk 2 3 4 5 6 AUCTIONS ‘Historic’ Australian brooch auctioned for almost £10,000 A rare, colonial Australian brooch has been sold for just under £10,000 at Fellows Auctioneers in Birmingham on 24 January 2019. Sussex Police are seeking witnesses and information concerning a break-in at Pressley’s Jewellery shop in North Street, Chichester. The incident happened overnight on Monday and Tuesday (7/8 January) when a side window was smashed and the thief reached through to steal 14 rings from an internal shelf. The missing items are believed to be one-off designer pieces and to have a combined value of £27,000. PC Robynn Gordon said: “Clearly we’d like to hear from anyone who saw any suspicious activity, people or vehicles in North Street over this period. “We’d also urge dealers, pawn brokers and other jewellers to be aware of this theft and to let us know immediately if they are offered such items for sale in suspicious circumstances.” Anyone able to help should contact Sussex Police online or phone 101, quoting serial 148 of 08/01. Anyone with information can contact Crimestoppers or call the independent charity on 0800 555 111 anonymously. 1 According to the group, pieces with “aboriginal detail” are infrequently offered for sale at auction, and the item depicts an emu and kangaroo amongst native flora – a common theme in Australian jewellery. Fellows said the piece garnered “a lot of interest” before the sale and, against an estimate of £500 - £700, the brooch sold for over 10 times its estimate for a hammer price of £7,300 (£9,314.80 including fees). A statement by the group read: “After frantic bidding over two telephone lines, bidders in the room and online. The bids kept rising until the fascinating piece of jewellery was bought over the internet by an Australian buyer.” Alex Duffy, jewellery specialist at Fellows Auctioneers, added: “The brooch is a beautifully crafted example of Australian colonial jewellery, a rare commodity for which modern day Australians show a wonderful appreciation. “Among the more common motifs of the emu and kangaroo, this particular piece features an Aboriginal person seated among the flora and fauna. This is something I personally have never previously come across in jewellery of this period.” JEWELLERY FOCUS 5