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Count Alexander von Beregshasy and Baroness Ilse |
Camden Passage loses jewel in its crown... the Count of Many Crystals
Flamboyant figure whose creations are worn by the stars heads for bracing air of Bavaria
BEYONCÉ wore his jewels to the Oscars, Stephen Fry donned one of his tiaras to Elton John’s birthday ball and he designed the necklace worn by Kate Winslet in the movie Titanic.
But now, faced with a double threat, Count Alexander von Beregshasy, Camden Passage’s most colourful character, is leaving Islington for the clean mountain air of Bavaria.
The 44-year-old Count of Many Crystals has been stricken with tuberculosis and this, coupled with the looming threat to the future of The Mall in Camden Passage, has prompted his departure after 10 years.
Speaking from his bed at University College Hospital in Bloomsbury, the ailing count spoke of his illness, which he prefers to call “consumption” because of its Romantic era connotations. “The doctors said it was cureable but you have to be on the meds for a year and it’s a slow recovery,” he said. “I need fresh mountain air and water to recover.
“I won’t have a shop in Bavaria. I will trade the jewels that are left through my website. It’s sad that London is going to lose such a shop but unfortunately these property developers have done an awful lot of damage.
“What’s happening to The Mall is very sad and the traders are outraged. Unfortunately, many panicked and there was a mass exodus. They didn’t all stick it out. They should have stayed because nothing is for certain and this will be the last antiques spot in Islington.”
The Austro-Hungarian count, who says he feels naked without his jewels, added: “I have more jewels than the Queen of England. The only worry I have every day is which jewels to wear.”
His aim had been to bring sparkle and smile to the world, he added. “Not even being able to wear a ring – that’s the most difficult thing about being in hospital. I’ll miss my shop because it’s magical and I love every inch of it.
“People enjoyed meeting me and that’s part of the magical experience of buying a jewel from Count Alexander. You get to see someone who’s made a one-off piece – it’s my passion.”
His mother, Baroness Ilse von Beregshasy, explained the roots of his obsession. “One day he came home from a church bazaar with one Christian Dior earring and he was lost to the sparkle ever since,” she said.
The family moved to Hong Kong when her son was 10. “There was one jewellery shop next to the other and that’s where he started his mission to create beautiful jewels, not using blood diamonds but using Austrian Swarovski crystals,” she said.
The count moved to this country at the age of 19. Baroness Ilse said: “It took him 16 years before he had enough of a collection together to open a shop in Angel.”
Once the count is released from hospital, he will sell off his remaining jewels and move with his mother to the Bavarian village of Schwangau, overlooked by a fairy-tale castle.
Baroness Ilse said: “His biggest triumph is he created the Titanic necklace and made the jewels for the Phantom of the Opera movie. Beyoncé wore the Phantom necklace at the Oscars – this is the biggest triumph of a jeweller, to make it to the Oscars.”
The shop is expected to shut within two months. Baroness Ilse said: “The Mall should be saved. At least we have an alternative. We can move back to Europe. But what about the other traders?”
* London and Associated Properties, the developer which lost its bid to redevelop The Mall at a planning hearing last month, has launched an appeal.
Traders are urging supporters to submit objections before the July 2 deadline. They should be sent to The Planning Inspectorate, Room 3/14 Eagle, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6PN. |
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