Afternoon Tea & Lecture | Suave and Sophisticated: Gentlemen and their accoutrements with Adrian Dickens

Take a 200-year journey exploring pieces favoured by fashionable gentlemen. These pieces are now having a resurgence. From snuff boxes and elaborate canes, posey holders and Albert chains, to dress jewellery and signet rings, this talk explains the adornments chosen by gentlemen of the day. In 2025, choices made by Royalty, aristocrats, celebrities and jewellers reflect a renewed desire for some men to stand out from the mundane throng.

A selection of men's jewellery and accoutrements from Circa AD Jewels will be on display at the lecture. Adrian Dickens has generously offered to donate 10% of any sales on the day, to The Johnston Collection. 

Adrian Dickens is a jeweller with 40 years’ experience in modern, estate, vintage and antique jewellery. British born, he trained in England before moving to Australia in 1988, where he managed various iconic jewellery retailers including Paul Bram, and opened and managed Jan Logan’s Melbourne store.

In 2012, Adrian founded his own business Circa AD Jewels. As an independent jeweller Adrian offers his clients a very personal experience in all aspects of jewellery, whether repairs, re-inventing jewels to be worn in the 21st century or advising on selling or acquiring any type of jewel. Adrian’s guiding principles are trust, value and discretion.

As a lecturer with ArtsNational as well a regular commentator on jewellery with ABC Radio, Adrian was honoured in 2018 to be invited to give his Queen’s Diamond talk as part of “Cartier; The Exhibition” at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.

Join The Friends for another interesting and stimulating presentation. Afternoon tea, to include an array of delicious petit fours and biscuits, will be served on arrival. 

NOTE: Tickets for this event do not include access to our exhibition-house, Fairhall. Guided tours of the current exhibition can be booked separately. 

This event is supported by The Colin Holden Charitable Trust.