Richard Ogden Antique Jewelry Store: Book Before You Visit

Richard Ogden has moved. After nearly 70 years in Burlington Arcade, the family jeweller now works from 12 Burlington Gardens, London W1S 3EY, at the bottom of Savile Row and, in the firm's own words, not much more than 50 yards from its old shop. It sees clients by appointment, whether you want to view stock, sell a piece or leave something for repair.

James R. Ogden opened the first Ogden jewellery shop in 1893 and later acted as advising goldsmith to the British Museum, a role that put him in correspondence with Howard Carter, the archaeologist who opened Tutankhamun's tomb. In 1925 his eldest son William opened a shop on King Street in St James's, with oak-panelled private rooms above it where clients could look at jewels in private.

William's only son Richard returned from the Far East in 1946 and carried on dealing in fine antique jewellery, opening in Princes Arcade in 1947 and moving to Burlington Arcade in 1951. The shop's client list over the decades included Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Ringo Starr and, more recently, Madonna. Richard Ogden died in 2005, and the business is now run by Robert Ogden, who says his family has been in the trade for more than a century.

Read the listings carefully, because the stock mixes period pieces with new rings made in an older style. The genuinely antique pieces include a late nineteenth-century English ring with a carved claw setting holding a centre diamond estimated at 2 carats, priced at £25,000. An old cut diamond fancy cluster ring in a flowerhead design, English and from the first part of the twentieth century, is £3,950, the most affordable period ring on the site.

Rings described as Edwardian style or Art Deco style are modern pieces in a period design. An openwork Edwardian-style cluster around a 0.50-carat brilliant is £4,250, an Edwardian-style target ring around a 0.61-carat oval diamond is £4,750, and an Art Deco-style target in diamond and onyx around a 0.60-carat old cut diamond is £6,750. There is nothing wrong with these, but if you want a ring that is actually a hundred years old, ask which pieces are.

The contact page lists hours of 10:00 to 17:30 Monday to Friday and 11:00 to 17:00 on Saturday, with no Sunday hours, and the firm has posted occasional Saturday closures on its homepage in the past. Because it works by appointment since the move, the reliable approach is to call or email jewels@richardogden.com a day or two ahead, name the pieces you want to see by their stock numbers, and let them set aside a slot. Before calling, the digital Christmas 2025 brochure linked from the homepage is a quick way to see a curated selection and pick stock numbers.

Estimates for repair and redesign are free of charge, which makes Ogden a sensible first stop for an inherited piece with a loose stone or worn claws. Pearl stringers will fit choker necklaces on the premises by appointment. The firm values jewellery for both insurance and probate, and charges £4.50 for each hand-engraved initial if you want a ring band personalised. There is also a bespoke design service for remodelling older stones.

Selling is handled the same way, by appointment. Bring any paperwork you have, such as old receipts, valuations or laboratory reports, because the provenance of a piece affects what a dealer can offer. If you are comparing offers, Bentley and Skinner on Piccadilly also buys antique jewellery, and it is a short walk away through Burlington Arcade. Ogden itself values for probate, so families settling an estate can have the pieces valued and, if they choose, sold in the same appointment rather than carrying them across town.

Ogden suits buyers who want quiet, personal service and an honest conversation about whether a ring is period or new. It suits people who want a long family name behind the receipt. It suits browsers less well, because the firm works by appointment and casual drop-ins may find nobody free to show them the trays. If you want to wander and compare, Grays on Davies Street has nearly 100 dealers and suits that mood better.

The firm's new address sits a few doors from the Royal Academy of Arts, whose Burlington Gardens entrance at number 6 leads to its Collection Gallery and the Benjamin West Lecture Theatre. Savile Row, home of London's bespoke tailors, runs north from the corner. Burlington Arcade, opened in 1819 and running down to 51 Piccadilly, is where the Ogden family traded for decades, and walking through it after your viewing makes a nice bookend.

The Royal Academy lists Oxford Circus and Bond Street as the nearest Tube stations to Burlington Gardens, and Green Park and Piccadilly Circus are also close by at the southern end of the arcade. Ask the Karpo APP for a quiet lunch spot near Savile Row before or after your appointment.

Address: Richard Ogden, 12 Burlington Gardens, London W1S 3EY. Email: jewels@richardogden.com. Hours listed: Monday to Friday 10:00 to 17:30, Saturday 11:00 to 17:00. Viewings, selling and repairs are by appointment. Ring prices on the website start at £3,950 for a period cluster. Free estimates for repairs; £4.50 per hand-engraved initial.