A gem of the jewelry industry
The Vail Trail, CO
Symposium presents estate jewelry expert Simon Teakle
Randy Wyrick, rwyrick@vailtrail.com
February 28, 2007
In all the world, there’s no one quite like Simon Teakle, who has become synonymous with beautiful, one-of-a kind, estate jewelry.
“It’s a very romantic and exciting field,†Teakle said.
In a Vail Symposium presentation, Teakle will discuss early American and European jewelry design, examining the styles and people behind estate jewelry.
What’s estate jewelry?
Estate jewelry has been previously owned and worn. Teakle said people love these pieces because of their beauty and scarcity, and because each comes with its own story.
“It’s the stories surrounding the pieces. It’s somebody giving a gift, which is an extension of the love affair,†Teakle said.
Teakle has been in the estate jewelry business for more than two decades. He launched his career with the National Association of Goldsmiths, where he received a diploma as a graduate gemologist. For 20 years, Teakle worked for Christie’s, first as a specialist in London, then heading up its jewelry department in New York.
During his tenure at Christie’s, Teakle secured a number of single-owner collections and gemstones. In 1992, he introduced the first sale of jewelry dedicated to American jewelers.
Teakle arranged many sales in recent years, Teakle, including the famed Agra Diamond, the Rockefeller Sapphire, and the $12 million sale of Doris Duke’s jewelry.
In the fall of 2004, Teakle left his post Christie’s to become the Director of Estate Jewelry for Betteridge Jewelers in Greenwich, Conn. A.E. Betteridge is among the leading names in the industry, with roots that can be traced back to silversmiths and jewelers in Birmingham, England, in the late 16th century.
Teakle’s latest focus has been to acquire individual objects and collections as well as to help clients find exceptional gemstones to be set into original pieces handmade by the store’s jewelers. So far, his collection includes antique pieces ranging in age from the 18th century up to the mid-20th century.
Teakle is an honorary member of the Gemological Institute of America and a Fellow of the Gemological Association of Great Britain.
