Gold’s allure

The last 50 years have been kind to investors in real terms. Everything made money: equities, bonds, property and gold. All investors had to remember was not to buy high and sell low. But that hasn’t

Rufus Bird considers whether the market is up or down

A hoard of British coins bearing the inscription of King Cunobelin and found in a Dutch field in October 2023 have been identified as very likely to be the spoils of war of a Roman soldier from the co

'There’s something magical about pearls,’ thinks Matthew Thomas of Gatsby Jewellery. ‘They come from water, not the earth, which makes them unique among precious gems.’ Perhaps that’s why they’ve been

A cut-crystal bed, with associated mirrors and throne, sparkled at auction earlier this month, but no glamour could beat the prize that was the Union Flag flown by HMS Spartiate at the Battle of Trafalgar

Canny collectors should swoop in when an artist falls out of fashion–but always pay attention to quality, because even the greatest names, such as Picasso, made the odd pot-boiler