About Robin Haydock

Robin Haydock a LAPADA member for over 23 years, is a renowned passionate collector and an established Antique Dealer; his deep-rooted appreciation and fascination for early Tapestries and Antique Jewellery coupled with his continuing quest to source the finest crafted exhibits is evident in over 25 years of relentless work culminating in this remarkable collection. Robin was brought up in a triple generational family business environment which was well known in the North West of England; as part of their family business Dorset’s, Robin’s Grandfather was involved in acquiring Antiques to furnish their business outlets and latterly Robin’s father, who was a Director of Dorset’s, opened his own Antique shop.  As every aspect of the family environment was highlighted with art and antiques, at a very early age Robin became well versed on the issues of appreciation of value, upkeep and care of antiques and also to comprehend and to distinguish the beauty of fine craftsmanship, art and design.

We recently asked Robin where his fascination for Antique Jewellery came from his reply was “sat on the window seat at Aughton one summers evening, next to a visiting Great Aunt who was trying to keep myself (a small child) amused, she showed me one of her beautiful rings and suggested that I should look directly in to it and tell her what I could see.” Robin did so, slowly twirling it around and around and was fascinated (the whole room was there and parts of the garden too), Robin told her “he could see the whole world” and she laughed and said “I dare say you can, it’s been around the world several times and it’s seen everything that I have ever seen”. Seemingly, this lovely little Diamond was “passed on” to Robin’s Father’s Cousin in the 1990’s and not surprisingly Robin has been looking for another one (just like it) ever since.

Robin’s collection of 17th & 18th Century European Tapestries are uniquely juxtaposed with over 800 examples of fine Jewellery from the; Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Vintage periods and artistic movements. The entire collection offers examples of exquisite craftsmanship, exceptional gemstones of social history and material culture. The majority of the pieces are from Britain’s and France’s most celebrated periods which produced some of the most resplendent pieces from Classical through to ‘Fashionable’ and evolved during 350 years of dedicated virtuosity in the art of jewellery making. Robin’s philosophy is based upon three pillars of excellence; Exceptional Condition, Incomparable Craftsmanship and High-Quality Gemstones and this is a testament to an  acute vision, a refined eye in recognising the quality and importance of jewellery, an understanding of the social history of antique jewellery and an uncompromising approach towards selecting the finest pieces from each period. This has enabled Robin to source and curate a selection of over 800 pieces that resonates the past and evokes the perfect combination of both craftsmanship and an aesthetic presence, this ethos is self-evident and completely embodied in Robin’s collection.

Client Advice, Consultations, Alterations & Developing Private Collections We offer a Consultation service towards assisting clients who wish to acquire a piece which meets their own individual requirements and tastes. This service is offered in a discerning environment without comprising the discretion of our clients, this is crucial to our professional ethos. Over the duration, Robin has developed an extensive client, base both in the UK and internationally, always establishing and maintaining a personal rapport with many customers and friends who have remained loyal to him. With his help and advice, in venturing beyond the confines of generic pieces, Robin continues to provide a personalised consultation service enabling many of his clients to acquire and curate their own extensive private collections. Having a close working relationship with some of the best Antique Jewellery Repair studios in London, we also offer a repair and alteration service but only for goods purchased from ourselves. In accordance with the LAPADA Code of Practice we are unable to alter goods prior to purchase, however we do offer a post purchase ring sizing service and also, as an example, we can very easily offer to alter most brooches to include a convertible pendant fitting (this is very much “in Vogue” at the moment and will make your purchase more versatile and wearable).