The Hour Glass and Revival Show Off The Maiden Collection
The Hour Glass Malmasion and Revival, Singapore’s only retail store for vintage jewelry and other items, are hosting a pop-up store for The Maiden Collection. This is a collection of beautiful pieces of vintage jewelry that have a flair for romanticism and that show how amazing pieces of jewelry transformed jewelry trends through different periods of time and style eras. The Maiden Collection will be showcased from September 26 through November 10 on the first floor of the Malmasion by The Hour Glass.
The Hour Glass is the only geographically diverse multi-brand luxury watch retail store in Southeast Asia. They carry over 50 brands of time pieces in their 24 boutiques in 8 cities across the Asia Pacific region. Established in 1979, The Hour Glass is the world’s leading retail establishment for watches. They are known for promoting and appreciating today’s trends in horology culture. In February of 2011, they opened Malmasion, an 8,000 square foot emporium for luxury items in an elegant setting. Besides horology, they carry art, jewelry, fragrances and literature.
Brenda Kang spent 15 years at Christie’s working with many high profile pieces of jewelry and then valuing them at auction. She moved to Singapore only to realize that there was a void in stores that sold vintage pieces. She opened Revival Vintage Jewels and Objects, the first retail establishment to offer vintage jewelry and other vintage products. Kang was excited to share with her friends, family and community in southeast Asia her love for vintage pieces.
The Maiden Collection is a temporary pop-up shop on the first floor of Malmasion by The Hour Glass. There are 103 pieces on display, and some are dated back over 150 years, and go all the way to the 1970’s and 1980’s, including pieces that are from the Art Nouveau period, the Belle Époque period and the Art Deco period.
Kang says, “Don’t think of jewelry first off as an investment. It should really be a piece that you love and enjoy, and that you will wear. The investment is a bonus.” She goes on to explain how pieces hold their value, especially if they are signed by the designer.
Revival is showcasing a bracelet by David Webb that was formerly in the collection of Elizabeth Taylor. It is a wearable bangle from 1967 that was designed for Taylor. It was then featured in her book entitled “My Love Affair With Jewelry.” It is a motif of two dragon heads and has a bit of an Asian influence.
Another exquisite piece that is featured in the Maiden Collection is the Bvlgari Celtaura diamond and yellow gold necklace that formerly belonged to actress Gina Lollobrigita. It is a classic styled piece, even in today’s trends in jewelry styles. It was very well made and is still quite flexible.
Also in the Maiden Collection are three Belle Epoque pieces that are from the years 1895 to 1915, and have classic characteristics of that age, such as platinum and diamonds. Art Nouveau pieces in the collection focus on sculptures made form gold that are both classic and still wearable. This time period was between the years 1915 and 1940.
There is a Cartier gem-set and gold bracelet from 1937 that is part of the later Art Deco period when the style was more voluminous. The bracelet is a beautiful vintage piece, but was definitely ahead of its time. Looking like what would be considered a “punk rock” look today, it would still be right with the trends by today’s fashion standards. There is also a Cartier mystery clock from the 1980’s in the Maiden Collection. It is called a “mystery clock” because there appears to be no mechanism in the time piece. Instead, the mechanism is hidden in the dial and in the base.