6 minute read
AUCTIONS
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
A Gentleman's Collection: The Estate of Rodney Permezel Sun 28 Feb 2021 MELBOURNE
OPPOSITE: Highlights from A Gentleman's Collection: The Estate of Rodney Permezel For many regular Leonard Joel clientele, Wednesday viewing days are an unmissable ritual that forms part of their weekly routine, serving as both a shopping exercise and a social event. This was true for long-time patron, Rodney Permezel. Every Wednesday, he would be seen visiting all departments, effortlessly engaging in lengthy discussions on antiques or art, often leaving all parties much the wiser.
Indeed, many clients and staff knew Rod by name, or if not by name, by his unmistakable uniform: formal blazer, tie, chinos, beret, gloves, and leather briefcase.
I have many fond memories of talking to Rod on his regular Wednesday visits, where he keenly bestowed priceless information. Rod was remarkably conversant on a variety of art and antique subjects, and his collection is an assemblage of this keen interest in and knowledge of antiques.
Having a rich colonial family history, Rod fostered his affinity for history and design during his days as an Interior Design student at RMIT, and through experience in the soft furnishing department at Georges in the late 1950s. In the early 60s, he opened an Interior Design practice before transitioning into the antiques trade, opening a shop on Malvern Road, Outpost Antiques and later Design House on High Street, Armadale. The shop closed in the mid-1980s, but this did not stop Rod’s passion from his Armadale home, where he continued to research, with copious notes and books that documented and complimented his collection.
We now have the privilege of sharing Rod’s library and collection with the public. The collection speaks volumes about his extensive knowledge, eye for style and commitment to antiques and history. Each piece reflects his niche interests which included early English drinking glasses, Georgian silhouettes, armorial porcelain, antique boxes, early cutlery, Australiana, examples of rare glass globes, vintage sporting equipment and, astonishingly, a large collection of games and dolls house furniture. A highlight from his Australiana collection is a unique early 1800s Port Arthur Colonial convict’s cap. These caps are extremely rare, with all documented examples currently housed in public collections around Australia including the Powerhouse and the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. They are distinctive and represent the harsh conditions experienced by many as part of Australia’s early penal colonies.
In addition to early English glass drinking vessels, Rod also coveted a small collection of Mercury glass vessels. Mid-19th Century lustrous silvered glass is considered one of the earliest forms of Victorian art glass. In addition to the inherent artistic value, mercury glass was a popular economic alternative to real silver, sometimes referred to as the peasant’s or farmer’s silver, and gifted to newlywed couples. Highlights from Rod’s mercury glass collection include a rare table candelabra with four matching mercury glass candles.
A traditional antique highlight is a large 19th Century white marble bust of Corneille Van Cleve, modelled after the work of French artist Jean-Jacques Caffieri. This finely carved bust depicting the much-celebrated sculptor Van Cleve once again epitomises Rod’s fine taste as a gentleman collector, with an appreciation for European sculpture masters.
It is with great pleasure that Leonard Joel presents the Rodney Permezel collection at auction on Sunday February 28, 2021. It is a collection full of surprises, classics, and pieces of sentimental value, representing a set of unique items that bring together one man’s lifelong commitment to art, style and pure craftmanship. Any serious collector or individual interested in finding that unique piece or compliment to a beloved collection should not miss this opportunity.
CHIARA CURCIO / Head of Decorative Arts
IMPORTANT JEWELS
Colour: How we see diamonds and gemstones
Important Jewels Auction Tues 20 Apr 2021 SYDNEY
OPPOSITE: Platinum, Topaz And Diamond Ring Sold For $27,500
TOP LEFT: Pair Of 18ct Pearl, Enamel, Argyle Fancy Pink Diamond And Diamond Earrings, Sarah Ho Sold For $22,500
TOP RIGHT: 18ct Gold, Platinum, Sapphire And Diamond Ring, Oscar Heyman & Brothers Sold For $12,500 Colour surrounds us in the natural world, and while we often take it for granted, it has more influence on us than we may imagine. Some behavioural scientists contended that colour has an impact on our moods. Marketers frequently leverage colour to sway our buying behaviour. Stylists use colour to assert attitude. Ancient civilisations allocated colours to religious rites and cultural practices. When it comes to diamonds and gemstones, colour - or an absence of it - is a fundamental factor in a stone’s beauty, value, and uniqueness.
Modern science maintains that all colours in the universe are founded in three elements: hue (colour), saturation (chroma) and tone (value). Hue refers to the spectral colours such as red, green, blue, and so on, that are visibly distinct from each other. As an exception, some gemstones exhibit a subtle combination of two or three colours. The secondary or modifying hue in these stones is usually nominated first, such as “purplish-pink” denoting that a slight amount of purple is mixed with a predominately pink colour.
Saturation represents the intensity, or quantity, of colour in a stone. The best way to understand this is if you take a can of blue paint and gradually stir in some white, rather than getting a new colour, the result is a lighter blue. An exception to this rule is that by adding white to red, we make pink. Red is a highly saturated pink; they are the same hue but the quantity of red colour is less in pink.
Tone refers to how light or dark a colour is. On a scale of 0 to 10, 0 is colourless (or white), 5 is a medium grey and 10 is black. So, as the tone increases, it intensifies the “darkness” of the stone. Tone begins to impact the saturation of a stone once it reaches a percentage high enough to overpower it. This percentage varies with each colour, just as the saturation range varies between hues. For example, saturation in a yellow stone may reach as high as ninety percent, whilst in a blue stone it may only reach three percent, with the result that a small percentage increase in tone on a blue stone would have a far greater impact on the blue, resulting in the grey becoming more noticeable. Stones with a higher saturation, such as yellow, would require correspondingly higher levels of tone for the brown to be observed. When the percentage of tone exceeds the saturation, the brown or grey will actually become the body (primary) colour and the hue the modifier, for example bluish-grey.
What we see in colourless (popularly referred to as white) crystals is simply due to the unimpeded transmission of all hues in the visible region of the solar spectrum. Colour on the other hand in a crystal is related to the presence of impurity atoms and structural defects in the gems atomic structure, both of which act as colour centers. The colour centers alter the transmission of visible light through the stone by absorbing certain spectral wavelengths or hues. The remaining lines or wavelengths of white light that the stone did not absorb are transmitted to the observer. The way in which these remaining spectral wavelengths are combined and perceived by the human eye and translated by the brain determines the colour we see.
With this knowledge, next time you admire a diamond or coloured stone, consider how the colour, saturation, and tone have formed its unique look and influenced the way you see it.
HAMISH SHARMA / Head of Important Jewels
