To celebrate over 50 episodes of Gem Pursuit Matthew and Alyce are taking you through a journey of their top five episodes. 

It was no easy task deciding on our top five but you’ll hear stories of Godly gemstones, the lost city of gold and the brutal standards of one very famous jeweller. 

We’ll also be looking ahead to Season 8, which will be in your ears this October and is all about the dead arts. 

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

• The Godly glow of precious emeralds 
• Alma Pihl and the unfortunate journey of one father’s gemstones 
• The lost city of gold 
• Influential jewellery designer Suzanne Belperron
• The brutal hammer of a very iconic jeweller 

GUEST DETAILS

Matthew Weldon took over Courtville in 2018 and continues today the rich legacy left behind by Kitten and Gráinne. The Weldon family tree boasts a rich history of Irish jewellers going back over 135 years. Learning from a young age about the industry from his father, Matthew quickly gained a skilled eye and an appreciation for quality.

Seeking to further his knowledge and expertise Matthew gained a degree in marketing and French which lead to a short career as a chartered accountant. But with such a draw to antique and vintage jewellery it was inevitable that Matthew would continue the family tradition and build a business of his own. Like generations before, Matthew looks for the exceptional, rare and intriguing pieces and always ensuring beauty, quality and fair prices.

Alyce Ketcher has been working with jewels for over 15 years. During her time within the jewellery industry she has worked in Australia, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom and Ireland and gained qualifications through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (GEM-A). As a qualified gemologist Alyce is able to use her extensive knowledge of diamonds and gemstones to identify and value jewellery from all periods. Working with antique and vintage jewels is her passion, and you can often find her researching hallmarks, inspecting gemstones or writing about our latest find.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on Gem Pursuit or to browse the Courtville collection visit www.courtville.ie. 

Gem Pursuit is produced for Courtville by Dustpod.io.

QUOTES

"You can value jewellery in two ways, and when it transcends from one of these ways to the other, it's when you really reach these gem qualities and you value them based on their intrinsic parts. So the diamond, the gold, sapphire, garnet, it is evaluated on the part, but if you're valuing jewellery based on the craft, the skill and the beauty, that's jewellery on a different level." ~ Matthew Weldon 

"He was able to actually revolutionise the way people look at jewellery, instead of looking at it as a tangible asset and looking at it as a piece of art. There wasn't any other jeweller in his time period who did what he did. It really was a turning point in jewellery creation." ~ Alyce Ketcher 

"A lot of jewellery houses, when they make something, much like an artist, they will actually put their name on the bottom or they'll sign it. In jewellery, it's exactly the same thing. But Suzanne Belperron said ‘I don't even sign my pieces, you should know they are mine just by looking at them’." ~ Matthew Weldon  

KEYWORDS

#jewellery #gold #faberge #gem #history