Before heading to the High Street in search of the latest jewellery trends, consider a visit to your local vintage or consignment shop. In London, I highly recommend the fabulous and enticing Hirst Antiques in Notting Hill. Be prepared to be overwhelmed, where every available space in the shop is glittering with beautiful vintage and contemporary jewels. This Aladdin’s cave – with hundreds of earnings, necklaces, rings and brooches adorning cabinets shelves and walls in just about every colour imaginable – is the perfect place to find unique statement necklaces, baroque pieces, oversized earrings, crucifixes and much more. Names of familiar, and perhaps not so familiar, designers can be found such as Lea Stein Paris, Miriam Haskell, Kramer Jewelery Creations, Swarovski, Escada, Oscar de la Renta, Christian Dior, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent to name a few.
I discovered this place by chance on my first visit to Portobello Road and actually walked straight past in my focused haste to find the legendary Portobello vintage clothing markets. It was only on my return journey back to the Notting Hill Gate tube station that I noticed this shop tucked neatly on the corner of Pembridge Road and Portobello Road. Adorable animal brooches by Lea Stein Paris staring out from their shopfront window display were the first thing that caught my eye. And as soon as I stepped over the threshold and entered the shop I knew amazing treasures were awaiting to be uncovered within. Completely spellbound by the dazzling colour and sheer choice of pieces on offer, I wandered around the store for a few moments in a vintage heaven daze. What a special, unique and utterly captivating vintage jewellery store. As I had expended all my mental and physical shopping energy searching for vintage fashion on Portobello Road earlier in the day, I was too overwhelmed to truly enjoy this wonderful shop. Rather than let tiredness ruin my experience of this enchanting place, I left after a few minutes exploring and I vowed to return in a few weeks time.
And the best thing is Hirst Antiques is open 7 days a week which means you don’t have to wait until the weekend to shop. So if you live in London or are planning on visiting this wonderful city in the future, make sure Hirst Antiques in Notting Hill is on your vintage shopping to-do list. Otherwise, you can purchase fabulous pieces directly from their online Etsy shop – The Hirst Collection.
*this post was not sponsored
Read more about why you should shop vintage in my Six Easy Ways to Embrace SustainableFashion article.