Purple Passion

Purple has officially made a comeback! Pantone have named Ultraviolet, a vibrant shade of purple, colour of the year. You may have recently noticed this colour splashed across furnishings, interiors and fashion. Which makes February's birthstone - amethyst - even more prominent this year. 

Historically, there has been a mystical or spiritual quality attached to purple. The colour is often associated with the practice of mindfulness and amethyst itself is said to bring calmness, clarity and also boost intuition. It's even claimed that the purple quartz helps combat the effects of drunkenness!

At Alfies there's no shortage of amethyst jewellery, and we also have other items in this year's must-have shade! Here are some of our favourite picks:

Silver & gold Amethyst brooch/pendant with pearls and diamonds, c1900. Available from Zeeba Jewels

Bug brooch set with diamond, ruby, garnet, amethyst and cat's eye. Circa 1900. Available from Naneen Brooks

Amethyst, emerald and diamond floral necklace in 15ct gold. Available from Pari's Jewellery

c1970s Art Glass. Available from Diplomat Treasures International

Val St Lambert lamp base, c1950s. Available from Louise Verber Antiques 

Stratton compact, c1950, deadstock. Available from Dream Retro

LFW Kicks Off: London Fashion Week A/W18

For all you FROW wannabees, today's the day you've been waiting for! London Fashion Week AW18 kicks off officially today. This season, London's young and emerging designers are holding the torch for the event, while some of the bigger names - such as Armani and Tommy Hilfiger - are forgoing their usual shows. On the emerging designer line-up are AV Robertson, Dilara Findikoglu and Richard Quinn.

Here at Alfies, we're here to show you how you can go green and wear vintage and still channel the latest styles. Here's the lowdown on the key trends of the week, and some fabulous pieces from Alfies:

Embellished Clutch Bags

Antique beaded evening bag with pearl snap closure Available from Connie Speight

Bakelite clutch bag with inlaid shell butterfly feature. Available from Sheila Cameron 

Sequin bow clutch, c1980s. Available from Gloria Sinclair

Ultraviolet

Austrian wool jacket, c1960s. Available from June Victor

Silver gild and enameled leaf shaped necklace. Available from Gareth Brooks

Bold Colour & Print

A selection of 1940s glazed pottery star sign brooches, made in Valleuris and signed Sisca. Available from Tony Durante

Haori meisen silk kimono, Japan, c1930s. Available from Barbara Rich Textiles

1950s French Tapestry Le Reveille Matin by Marc Saint Saens. Available from The Moderns

From the rest..

Don't forget to visit Tin Tin Collectables and Dream Retro, for their fantastic collections of vintage fashion, costume and accessories.

1980s gold coloured large clip-on earrings. Available from Dream Retro

Tassled Shawl. Available from Tin Tin Collectables

Amethyst

February's birthstone is the amethyst, a gem which has been hugely popular across the eras, making antique amethyst jewellery easy to find. The fact that purple could for centuries only be produced from natural materials made it labour-intensive and thus highly expensive – at one point the stone was literally worth its weight in gold! As a result the amethyst became linked to royalty and power. The Victorians were big fans - when Queen Victoria wore a gown to the Royal Exhibition in 1862 dyed with the newly available product the colour became extremely fashionable.

The amethyst is popular for is hue and vibrancy and at Alfies our jewellery dealers have a beautiful selection of pieces on offer:

1930s amethyst ring. From Good Time Antiques.

Victorian 18k gold and amethyst necklace. Available from Kieron Reilly.

1900-1915 Suffragette amethyst bracelet. From Zeeba Jewels.

1870/1880 Austrian amethyst necklace. From Zeeba Jewels.

An amethyst ring surrounded with small diamonds set in white gold. 1960s-70s. From Gareth Brooks.

Edwardian Suffragette necklace. 1910-1915. Amthyst and natural pearl. Available from Zeeba Jewels.