How a jewellery addict should shop a fair

Jewellery is the archetypal style signifier - it can be the crowning piece to any outfit I have always loved it - from the early days playing with the pieces in my grandmother's drawer, to having the privilege of working with some leading lights in the jewellery trade today I have personally bought pieces from art and antiques fairs, luxury brands, contemporary jewellery dealers and independent makers.

It is essential to try jewellery on, to feel the weight of it, how it lies on your skin, how the piece and your skin's tone react, understand how the scale of the piece works with your own proportions Does it have an interesting history? Where is the stone from and where and when was it cut and/or set? Is it signed by one of the famous jewellery houses such as Cartier, Van Cleef or Boucheron? Are there any inclusions in the stone? All these things can add to or subtract from the value of the piece Buying jewellery in the secondary market from antique and modern jewellery dealers is a very smart thing to do - generally giving you more bling for your buck.

According to the Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index, which tracks the price growth of 10 luxury investment sectors over the past 12 months, jewellery is a consistently strong performer. . Source