Every ancient object has travelled an extraordinary distance to reach us. Its materials, workmanship and traces of wear can reveal where it was made, how it was used and something of the person who once held or wore it. These objects are part of a shared human story - one that connects us all and in which we still participate.

The Kapistree Collection

Kapistree maintains a growing collection of ancient artefacts, selected for their beauty, significance and ability to communicate something across time.

We collect responsibly, carefully considering provenance and collecting history alongside the quality and importance of the object itself.  Not every artefact we acquire is destined to become jewellery. Some remain within the collection for study, exhibition or are gifted to museum collections.

We also believe that collecting and scholarship should support one another. Where objects in the Kapistree collection can contribute to research, we facilitate access to specialists and promote further lines of study and analysis.

Expertise Before Design

Before an ancient artefact is incorporated into a Kapistree piece, it is examined and assessed by specialists with expertise appropriate to the object.

For metal artefacts, we also commission metallurgical analysis. Techniques such as non-destructive X-ray fluorescence testing can help establish the composition and purity of ancient metals, providing another layer of evidence alongside workmanship, typology, provenance and expert examination.

Only once we are satisfied with that evidence do we consider an artefact for jewellery.

Preserving the Ancient

Our designs begin with the artefact, not the other way around. Archaeological conservator and goldsmith Edilberto Formigli has written that “ancient jewellery is now confined almost exclusively to museum cases and therefore cannot express its true beauty. Without the reflection of the sun in the natural movement of a wearer, without the skin, hair, and garments of a human being, these wonderful pieces have been transformed into stunning but static showpieces.”

Kapistree creates contemporary settings around ancient jewellery and artefacts that allow them to live and move again. Each design protects the artefact, responds to its form and gives it a new context in which it can be seen and worn.  The result is a very human collaboration, separated by centuries.

A Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity

Every ancient artefact incorporated into our jewellery is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, setting out its attribution and the information known about it.

We stand behind that attribution for life.  Our Lifetime Artefact Authenticity Guarantee means that we underwrite that each artefact is materially authentic and corresponds with the statements of authenticity made about it.