By
admin on March 13th, 2009
Posted in Restoration and refinishing | No Comments »
We prefer to restore and repolish our antiques as we sell them.
The reason is that once sold, we know the requirements of the buyers and can adjust the finish so to have them satisfied to the best possible degree.
We have opened the English antiques’ store less than a year ago, so many of our clients are still first time buyers, and are initially sceptical of French polishing. This technique is often unheard of and many local restorers do not use it, preferring oiling, waxing, spraying, and many antique dealers even suggest that it’s better to leave antiques as they are.
Unfortunately for them, we know that it’s wrong and just convenient, and we have 30 years of experience in the business in Europe, where restorers that are true to the tradition do it the right way, that is, french polishing.
So, with very few restorers use this old technique that was traditionally implemented to higher end antiques for centuries, and to English antique furniture in particular.
That’s why many don’t know what french polishing is about, what is shellac, and confuse the shine of hand rubbed shellac with modern polyurethane sprayed contemporary and reproduction furniture.
However, in ALL cases, the clients that trusted us and our restoration technique were not disappointed, they were ALL impressed and satisfied of the quality of the finish.
Besides, when shellac is applied with a rubbing pad, pieces cannot shine perfectly as if glazed and like pieces that are spray lacquered.
The finish, however accurate, will never be perfect and look vitrified.
We are sorry, but it’s done by hand, it shows and it must!
That’s how pieces were finished originally when made by skilled craftsmen of the past centuries, and that’s how we do it in the 21st century and as it should always be done forever.
There’s no other way to recover the original look and the full value of an antique!
By
admin on March 13th, 2009
Posted in Antiques' tips | No Comments »
When shopping for antiques remember never to buy something that you don’t like, but never just because you like it.
If it looks like a good deal, if it’s practical, if it’s gorgeous or you feel bad not buying it, these are all good reasons for not buying an antique if at the same time you don’t truly like it.
And the same if you don’t have the room, if it’s too expensive for your pockets, if it doesn’t serve any purpose, then don’t buy it either.
If you buy it anyway, there’s a chance that you will get tired of it and regret the purchase.
So, you should buy with both your heart and your brain; buy something you like, that you can afford, that serves a practical purpose, that beautifies your home.
By
admin on March 13th, 2009
Posted in General | No Comments »
We finally received and unloaded the container packed with authentic British antiques, mainly antique furniture, that so many of you subscribers of our newsletters have been waiting for.
We have chests of drawers, side tables, sideboards, nesting tables, china display cabinets, bookcases, trolleys; they’re in mahogany, oak, walnut of the Victorian, edwardian, Georgian, Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau period, inlaid, carved, turned, solid, veneered, restored and unrestored, and so much variety of pieces that you have to come and see to understand the antiques that we offer.
The sooner you come, the more opportunities to view the pieces before others and the more pieces that will not have been sold yet.
By
admin on March 13th, 2009
Posted in Antiques' Facts | No Comments »
However strange it may sound, shellac is a natural resin that is so non toxic that it’s edible!
Not many know that the resin produced by the ‘lac bug’ to make cocoons on trees in south east Asia, just as silk is produced by silkworms, can be eaten with no harm, and after taking out other organic materials such as leaves and twigs.
Many actually don’t know that they eat shellac regularly, by ingesting common products such as apples, pills, candies (many are sprayed with shellac to make them shiny), granola bars (where shellac also helps to keep the various components together, like natural and edible glue), even some toys are coated with shellac to preserve children’s health. They cannot be in danger of getting poisoned by furniture surfaces if they are coated with pure and natural shellac. And because shellac is melted in alcohol, it’s even safer.
That’s why shellac as a coating for products and in food has the FDA approval.
While I wouldn’t suggest to have a meal based on the shellac flakes that we use for polishing our English antiques, it’s always nice to be able to say to our clients, many of which have children, that the finish that we use is so clean and non toxic that it’s even edible! And it’s a fact!
By
admin on March 10th, 2009
Posted in General, Store hours | No Comments »
Please note that Old England Antiques will reopen on March 12, 2009 @ 10 am.
Please ignore the sign on the entrance door that says that we will reopen on March 11, 2009 @ 1 pm.
Thank you!
By
admin on March 5th, 2009
Posted in General | No Comments »
…that’s what someone wants to know and I will satisfy the request by answering as follows:
Whether authentic or not, there are many finishes to choose from. However, if you want to maintain and enhance the value of the piece, as an authentic antique piece from England, there’s only one way to go, at least in most cases;
that way is French Polish.
Since the late 1700s when shellac was discovered in India/southeast Asia as a way to finish wood, and even more so in the 1800s, in England they would use only shellac, applied by hand of course, with a rubbing pad.
Quality pieces would be finished in that way.
Lesser quality ones instead kept being oiled or waxed, as French Polishing is labour intensive, requires skill and experience, and natural materials, such as shellac, which is so natural that it’s actually edible, became increasingly expensive.
Synthtic materials on the other hand are cheaper to buy, cheaper and faster to apply, even with spray guns, and look perfect.
However, polyurethane and similar products are appropriate for cheap modern pieces, because it’s a cheap way to finish them and make them look good.
Shellac finished furniture can be easily repaired, and do not require a total redo.
Shellac is also warmer to the eyes, softer to the touch, and totally non toxic, which with kids around is always a major concern.
So in brief, an authentic antique table, particularly if English or anyway of high quality, should be finished by French Polishing.
In that way the pice would look more beautiful, the grain of the wood would relly stand out, and that’s great with quality woods such as antique mahogany, walnut, rosewood, satinwood and a few others. The value of the piece would be enhanced, the look of the piece would be the original one, the easiness of repairs to scratches for instance would be impressive.
By
admin on March 4th, 2009
Posted in General, Store hours | No Comments »
We are sorry to inform you that we will be closing early, at 2PM, for a delivery.
By
admin on January 15th, 2009
Posted in General, Store hours | No Comments »
After a successful trip to Britain and to Italy, we managed to buy a some nice antiques in England, of quality and rare beauty, and to ship a fully packed container of English antique furniture from our antique stores in Italy.
The trip, although very short for so much to do, was hectic but fruitful.
We are now getting ready to receive the very large quantity of English antique furniture pieces anytime in February.
We will then notify our clients and those that signed our guestbook at our antique store in Newton Highlands, Ma.
For the next few weeks, please find our hours of opening below:
Sunday and Monday: closed
Tuesday: by chance or appointment
Wednesday: 10-4
Thursday: 10-4
Friday: 10-4
Saturday: 10-4
We really welcome any visit outside these hours by appointment. In this business it’s hard to know when visitors and clients would like to view our pieces, bring pieces for evaluations and restoration quotes, and so on.
That applies to both actual clients and to prospective ones, so we would be delighted to know when anybody wants to see us and our antiques by appointment. You would be doing us a favour, so don’t be shy and don’t think that we expect you to make any commitment upon a visit by appointment.
Do us a favour, and yourselves, call on 617 9 9 9 0 2 6 9 or 617 8 9 4 0 7 3 1 to arrange an appointment now!
By
admin on December 24th, 2008
Posted in Store hours | No Comments »
- Dec 24th: open ’til 2pm
- Dec 25th: closed
- Dec 26th: closed
- Dec 27th: open at 11am
- Dec 28th: closed or open by appointment
- Dec 29th: closed or open by appointment
- Dec 30th: open 10-5 (Tuesday)
- Dec 31st: closed or by appointment (Wednesday)
- Jan 1st: closed or by appointment (Thursday)
- Jan 2nd: closed or by appointment (Friday)
- Jan 3rd: open 10-5 (Saturday)
- Jan 4th: closed or by appointment (Sunday)
- Jan 5th: open 10-5 (Monday)
- Jan 6th: open 10-5 (Tuesday)
- Jan 7th: closed (snowstorm) (Wednesday)
- Jan 8th through Jan 16th: closed or by appointment (Tel: 6 1 7 9 2 1 3 4 4 3) (Marco goes to Europe on a buying and shipping trip, container due soon after, standby!)
You are very welcome to call 617 999 0269 for other info and appointments anytime.
Thank you!
By
admin on December 12th, 2008
Posted in Store hours | No Comments »
…we are sorry to inform you that we are going to be closed from approx 1-1:30 to approx 3-3:30. We will then be open until 5, as usual.
Please call 617 999 0269 for more info.
We are sorry for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.