A French Revelation

To introduce you to our newest member of staff and give her the opportunity to answer some questions about Graham Smith Antiques, this weeks blog is about Samantha Burgun. Samantha is working at Graham Smith Antiques for two months, as an intern, she is 18 years old and speaks English much better than any of us speak French!

Samantha is pictured here on the right, next to Graham (centre) and online manager Simon Phillipson on the left for an article in June's North East Times Magazine 

What course are you studying in France?

In France I am doing a two-year post-A-level course in International Trade & Business. I study in Strasbourg. 

Why did you choose to come to Graham Smith Antiques for your internship?

At first we had to choose a country and for me that was evident that I would go in a country where people speak English because I really like the language and I think that it is very important to speak good English for a career in International Business. Moreover my aunt lives in Newcastle, that's why I was looking for an Internship in Newcastle. I was looking for a business that would correspond with my internship and whilst searching the internet, I found the Graham Smith Antiques website. I read that they were experienced in shipping containers and smaller retail items worldwide and thought the business sounded very interesting. I didn't know much about antiques but I browsed the website and I found many beautiful things. That is why I sent an e-mail to Graham and he answered me very quickly, I was the first in my class to have a confirmed internship, so I was very happy about that.  

What is your favourite item in the shop or warehouse at the moment?

At the moment, there are lots of items which are very beautiful but my favourite is an 19th Victorian mahogany freestanding 9 drawer pedestal desk, which is dated from 1860. I think that it is the kind of desk for a very important person and it is very beautiful!

This is the desk Samantha loves so much - Click the picture to find out more

What do you think is the most interesting aspect of Graham Smith Antiques business?

Graham Smith Antiques business is very interesting, I have been able to learn and do lots of different things already. It's very interesting to see how Graham chooses antiques to buy and how he is always  looking for new furniture for all his customers worldwide, from an American customer to an Australian customer and so on. I think that the most interesting thing is the website because customers from everywhere in the world can look at the antiques and buy furniture to be sent to the other side of the world! The fact that Simon the Online Manager, takes so many pictures of the furniture helps the customer to be confident to buy from Australia or Hong Kong for example. So yes, for me the most interesting part of Graham Smith Antiques is how they have customers from everywhere in the world on the internet.

How do you think working at Graham Smith Antiques will help you in your future career?

I think that working here will help me in my future career because I will learn a lot about the business world, I observed a lot how staff members do theirs job as well as how to be with customers. I have always got something to do, and Graham lets me do a variety of things, so that's really great for me. Moreover it's a work experience and that will give me knowledge to build on for the future.

Thank you to Samantha for answering all these questions. To find out more about Graham Smith Antiques, you can follow us on Twitter or browse our website

Packing Antiques - How to & How not to!

Something that we are asked on a weekly basis by internet customers is - "Will my item arrive safely and will you pack it well?"

This week's blog will not only answer that question but also give you some valuable hints and tips about how to package antiques for shipping, whether UK post or international sea freight!

 Here's Samantha, the latest addition to our team, having a lesson in packing

First of all - the most important thing when packing small and medium sized antiques, especially breakable such as glass or ceramics. Use a box at LEAST double the size of the item and if possible use two boxes, one fully packaged inside another to reduce vibrations reaching the item inside.

Secondly, do not scrimp on packing materials, plenty of newspaper, bubble wrap and polystyrene beads are the bread and butter of a well packed item. We should know - we have a 99% success rate at getting items to their destination in perfect condition!

Thirdly, be methodical and consistent. This is something that only applies if you are packing multiple goods but is a rule we teach our staff to use when packing on an everyday basis.

To start with, collect all of the things you will need to pack your item, below is a quick checklist.

• Two cardboard boxes of differing sizes
• Bubble wrap 
• Polystyrene sheeting / Newspaper
• Polystyrene beads or similar pieces of soft spongy material
• Strong wide brown Tape
• Fragile Tape or white tape that you can write 'Fragile' on
• Scissors

Start by wrapping your item in either newspaper or polystyrene sheeting, then pack the smaller cardboard box with some newspaper, bubble wrap or polystyrene beads to pad the bottom out. Place your item into the box, filling ALL remaining space with any soft packing material, as mentioned above. Seal the box with some strong wide brown tape, no need for fragile tape as this is the inner box.

Now is the time to use your second, larger box. Tape up the bottom with the wide brown tape, so that when you pick it up with your item in everything doesn't disappear through the base! (Particularly relevant if re-using a cardboard box that has already had some use)

Fill the bottom of the larger box with soft packaging material, such as newspaper, bubble wrap or polystyrene beads. Next, place your smaller cardboard box housing your item into the larger box and fill ALL remaining space with soft packing materials. The key to this method is tightly packing the box, so the item does not rattle around and also, the smaller box does not rattle around in the larger box. This minimises vibrations, meaning only the most violent of incidents will break the item within.

Finally, tape the box up using plenty of wide brown tape and complete with several wraps of fragile tape to accentuate the importance of care to the couriers.

Ultimately, using a well established and reputable courier is half the battle. We use UPS and they work very efficiently delivering packages all over the world for us, with accurate tracking and plenty of experience at handling fragile items. Also, the local UPS driver is exceptionally friendly and goes out of his way to make our lives as easy as possible.

Larger items are best left to professionals, as they often require wooden crates to protect them. This is especially relevant when items are travelling by sea freight, as this chest below illustrates.

A chest that looked very similar to this one is in the crates above, separated into two - such a handy design!

We ship items all over the world and not only are we very experienced at packaging, we're pretty successful at getting items to their destination in the same condition they left in. We quote on an individual basis for international purchases, although we ship a container that leaves us every 6 - 10 weeks going to North Carolina in the USA. This means that anyone in the states can benefit from free shipping to North Carolina and then either collect or arrange a courier from there.

To see full details about our shipping costs and delivery times, visit our purchase information page

Thank you for reading our blog, if we've interested you on this occasion, then why not follow us on twitter for more regular updates and insights?

Graham Smith Antiques Ltd 2011

www.grahamsmithantiques.com

An Intriguing Sculpture

We have a new item in stock that we are quite intrigued by, it is an early 20th century ivory, gilded bronze and marble bust of a young girl by sculptor Agathon Léonard.

Agathon Léonard an Art Nouveau sculptor, was born in 1841 and died in 1923. Agathon Léonard is reportedly Belgian by birth, (although some historians say he was born in Lille) he apparently moved to France and worked in Paris, after studying under 'De La Planche' at the School of Fine Arts in Lille. 

Agathon Léonard was his pseudonym and his real name was Van Weydveldt, a fact that is not widely publicised. Although he was most famous for his bronze sculptures, he also worked with Ivory, Marble and Quartz. The sculpture that we have in our stock is gilded bronze with a marble base and ivory head.

He was very successful in France and in 1900 he was elected a ' Chevalier of the Legion of Honor', which is the highest decoration in France, founded by Napoleon Bonaparte. The sculptor’s works are held in many collections, including that of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Although some fine examples are also seen within the mainstream antiques trade, meaning people are able to own a piece of art history.

The figure is signed behind the left shoulder "A. Leonard" as shown in the photograph above. The bust is carved ivory set within the gilded bronze torso and mounted on a square marble plinth.The subject has beautifully depicted curly hair, with a slender neck and an exquisite heart shaped face, adorned with coloured, gilded eyes.

This particular Agathon Léonard sculpture is of exceptional quality and is in excellent original condition. More images are shown on our website, where you can purchase the item directly. (Circa 1910) 

Thank you for reading the Graham Smith Antiques blog, if you've enjoyed our insights, then follow our blog, or for more condensed snippets, follow us on twitter

www.grahamsmithantiques.com

Double Semi Finalists!

We have some great news this week - we have not one but TWO items through to the Semi finals of LAPADA & Country Life Magazines 'Object of the year' competition!

Only 30 items have made it this far and two of them are our entries. In a few days time, on 9th May the 30 semi finalists will be vetted and whittled down to just 12 finalists, who will be featured in Country Life magazine & displayed at the Olympia International Fine Art & Antiques Fair in June for the public to admire, before a winner is decided!

At the moment, the 30 semi finalists are displayed on the 'Object of the year' website and are available for the public to vote. We would much appreciate it if, as a valued blog reader, you would cast a vote for one of our items - click the picture of the item you most admire below to vote for it on the website!

Thank you for your support, it is much appreciated!

Rallying Around!

Rally car racing and antiques have never previously been particularly closely associated, although our logo is now proudly featured on a rally car owned by a Mr John Nicholson!

John Nicholson, proprietor of John Nicholson & Dunelm Fine Art has a long and established relationship with us, as both a customer and business associate. Our Jesmond shop features some of their Fine Art collection and art exhibitions are held at our shop on a regular basis to showcase their full collection. (If you are interested in attending the next exhibition, please email us to be added to the mailing list info@grahamsmithantiques.com)

Recently, John was a keen rally driver in his youth and has rekindled his hobby and kindly offered to include our logo on the car he uses.

The Lapada logo is also included - just to make sure everyone is aware that we are a reputable pair of antique companies!

John Nicholson & Dunelm Fine Art have their own website, where you can view a selection of their collection and find out more about exhibitions they are attending http://www.johnnicholsonfineart.co.uk/

To find out more about holding an art exhibition at Graham Smith Antiques, visit our about us page, where you can see for yourself why our Jesmond shop is such a popular location for both modern and antique art exhibitions http://www.grahamsmithantiques.com/about.asp

We are based in Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne and have recently opened a new warehouse in nearby Benton, to showcase an even larger amount of antique furniture to customers. Our website is open 24 hours a day and is a great way of picking out items you'd like to look at more closely in person or snap up immediately by buying securely online!

www.grahamsmithantiques.com