Though I knew people love to hear about the great finds we make at Hansons, it’s the talented people behind the scenes who bring our auctions to glittering life every month, writes Charles Hanson.
And we have many shining stars in the Hansons’ ranks, including our head of jewellery Helen Smith. She is a bit of an enigma. She loves fast cars, motorbikes – and dazzling diamonds.
See her in her motorbike leathers and chances are you’d think she was a bit of a tomboy. You’d be right, but she’s also gentle, kind and feminine – and an expert in her field. As well as making and designing her own gems, she can value your treasures, both jewellery and watches.
A hidden gem in herself, there’s nothing she likes more than unearthing something extra special. But humble should be Helen’s middle name. She played a part in creating a brooch which the Queen wore on Christmas Day, but she was swift to tell me she only played a small part. Her colleague designed the brooch and Helen made the model for it.
Though she owns a Kawasaki Motocross motorbike and drives an Audi TT, once inside the saleroom, she changes pace to delicately handle a multitude of diamonds, gems, gold, silver, antique brooches, amber beads and more. All have to be carefully assessed, valued and catalogued for a range of jewellery auctions.
Luckily, Helen has an expert eye, gleaned from 20 years of working in the dazzling world of jewellery.
She has learned from some of the best designers in the world at The Goldsmiths Centre in London, a leading UK charity for the professional training of goldsmiths that brings together people with emerging jewellery and silversmithing talent. People like Helen. She has even exhibited at the prestigious Goldsmiths Fair in London.
She is particularly passionate about working with, and valuing, coloured gemstones and, thanks to her job at Hansons, she discovers something new every day. We see some incredible pieces of antique and vintage jewellery and superb, high quality diamonds. For example, an exquisite Victorian diamond brooch in the shape of a bumblebee came in recently. The Victorians loved the natural world. We also see mourning jewellery, sometimes made out of the deceased’s hair.
Cameo brooches are lovely, too. They are miniature works of art in themselves, often carved in carnelian shell and depicting classical scenes. They were made popular by Queen Victoria.
We value and sell all manner of vintage and antique bracelets, brooches and rings and we’re always pleased to see amber beads brought for valuation as they can be worth hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds at auction – very good news for our clients.
Free jewellery and watch valuations with Helen are available every Friday, 10am-4pm, at Hansons Auctioneers, Heage Lane, Etwall. Helen also offers free jewellery valuations once a month at Pickford’s House, Friar Gate, Derby. She will be there on July 4, 10am-noon, with more dates to follow.
Plus, free jewellery and watch valuations are available every Tuesday from 9.30am-4.30pm at Hansons in Etwall. Top UK jewellery expert David Byrne is our usual Tuesday valuer but on May 22 Isabel Murtough will step in.To find our more, email [email protected]. Entries are invited until June 1 for Hansons’ Summer Fine Art Jewellery and Watches Showcase on June 28.
