The Vintage Fine Jewelry at TEFAF Spring

Simon Teakle’s collection lives up to the luxurious show’s reputation

A view of the hanging and displayed arrangements of tulips flown in from Holland at TEFAF Spring New York. Photo courtesy

It may be tulip season everywhere, but the blooms in the over the top arrangements hanging from the ceiling at the TEFAF New York Spring show at the Park Avenue Armory have been flown in from Holland for the occasion. That kind of attention to luxurious details is a reflection of the museum quality of art, furniture and jewelry on display in the booths. Established in 1988 in Maastricht, a university city on the southern tip of the Netherlands, the esteemed show only arrived in New York in 2016.

After two wildly successful Fall presentaions in the Big Apple, that included a small handful of vintage jewelry dealers and contemporary jewelry designers, this presentation is the first Spring event and there are just three booths with jewelry. One is the must-see contemporary Parisian design house Reza. There is the jewelry of 20^th century master artists including Picasso and Calder at the booth for London dealer Didier Ltd.

Simon Teakle, the esteemed dealer who hails from London but is based in Greenwich, Connecticut, has the only booth with vintage fine jewelry. His presentation alone is worthy of a trip to the fair. There is a delightful mix of designs in the collection that span from the Belle Epoque to the Art Deco period and beyond. Big treasures to dream are alongside ready-to-wear earrings you really want to buy on the spot. The beautiful blend of perfectly curated pieces is a reflection of Simon’s 20-odd years running the jewelry department at Christie’s in New York. He has seen every type of jewel under the sun and has delightful anecdotes about the history of each.

Following are five fabulous jewels from the Simon Teakle collection on display at TEFAF Spring New York at the Park Avenue Armory until May 8, 2017.