An 18ct sapphire and diamond cluster ring, by Kutchinsky, of bombé form, the centre set with seven brilliant-cut diamonds, within a concentric surround of round-cut sapphires, claw set within scalloped borders, to a textured band, mounted in 18ct yellow gold, indistinctly hallmarked and bearing ‘Kutchinsky’ signature maker’s mark, ring size L, with sizing beads. £500-£700

In the 1890s, the Kutchinsky family fled from Poland to England, where Hirsch Kutchinsky, with his son Morris, set up a jewellery manufacturing company in London’s East End. The family brought with them centuries of experience in the jewellery trade, having been, at one time, jewellers to the court of Ludwig of Bavaria. In 1928, Morris’s sons Joseph and Solomon joined the family business. Joseph at just 16 was already an experienced diamond polisher, and began to work his way up the ranks. By 1958 he was running the company and he moved the business from the trade dominated East End into the prestigious shopping street of Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, where he set up his desk in the saleroom itself, from where he could usually be seen puffing on a large cigar. Service was of real importance to Joe Kutchinsky and he claimed that "We can be very flexible and offer a real service - the impossible we always say just takes five minutes longer".

During WWII the British public had been starved of luxuries. In the decades that followed, and as the economy recovered, jewellers such as Kutchinksy were greeted with enthusiasm. Kutchinsky’s jewellery throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s typifies the era's enthusiasm for bold, ostentatious yet whimsical designs, yet it was produced to the very highest standards that Joe Kutchinsky demanded. For many, the name Kutchinsky is synonymous with jewellery incorporating amusing animal designs, including lions, birds, gazelles, leopards, rabbits and dogs, all set with various gemstones. As this period wore on, they expanded very successfully into exporting their goods to the Middle East.

In the early 1990s Joseph retired and the firm was purchased by another important London jeweller - Moussaieff Jewellers of Bond Street. There remains a Kutchinsky store on the Old Brompton Road to this day.