Although many actresses favour contemporary designers for the red carpet, they choose to accessorize their gowns with vintage gems from Bulgari, Fred Leighton and Cartier. Charlize Theron, Carey Mulligan and Jennifer Lopez are frequently photographed wearing stunning Art Deco designs from the archives of these wonderful haute haute joaillerie collections.

Vintage jewellery doesn’t need to mean lots of carats – many of the finest examples are cocktail rings and costume brooches. London is a fantastic place to find quality antique gems and many boutiques now sell online. Hidden behind Bond St tube station is Grays Antiques Market, one of the world’s largest and most diverse collections of fine antiques, jewellery, and vintage fashion. Gillian Horsup has a stand there and has been dealing in vintage costume jewellery for over 30 years. Her collection includes Art Deco, bakelite and jet jewellery, Italian glass and more modern designs such as Butler & Wilson.

Auctions are another great place to find stunning heirloom pieces. The next jewellery sale at Christie’s South Kensington is on 19th January and includes necklaces by Dior and Van Cleef & Arpels. For something a little more low-key, I’ve always found lovely costume jewellery at the Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair (which also boasts a tea room and alterations booth). Recommended online dealers include Perfectly Vintage, who have a stunning range of earrings and dress clips, and Vintage Bridal Jewellery, who also sell hair accessories and full jewellery sets – perfect gifts for bridesmaids!

My online boutique Juno Says Hello is giving away a copy of Caroline Cox’s lavishly illustrated book Vintage Jewellery – just enter your details via this link. The winner will be drawn at random on February 1st. Good luck!