Gregory & Bottley Collection

Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd were the second longest-running gem, mineral, and fossil dealership in the world. Opened in 1858 by James Reynolds Gregory (1832-1899), the business operated in King William Street, London, became firmly established within the gem and specimen trading industry over the next forty years with scientists and private collectors alike seeking samples. The dealership lands in the hands of Edward Percival Bottley (1904–1980) in 1931.

“Most of his specimens were bought from collectors, other dealers and at auction, as he did not do much collecting in the field. Among others he built a superb collection of meteorites, on which he published several papers. He was a member of the Geological Society of London, the Mineralogical Society, the Society of Arts, and the Mineralogical Society of France.” [1]

The School of Earth Sciences (the School of Geology and Zoology at the time) at the University of Bristol were a customer of the dealership. Our records show at least three purchases of specimens spanning over 60 years.

Timeline

1832

John Reynolds Gregory born

Picture: John Reynolds Gregory c. 1880 [5]

1858

Gregory & Co. dealership opened

The business operated in King William Street, London, becoming firmly established within the gem and specimen trading industry over the next forty years with scientists and private collectors alike seeking samples.

1868/69

Gregory concludes no diamonds to be found in South Africa

Gregory went to south-east South Africa, after the recent discovery of diamonds, to assess whether more diamonds could be found in the region. He erroneously concluded that it was not possible, a decision that would slightly tarnish his reputation in the geological disciplines though he remained a respected dealer.

1870s and 80s

Diamonds in South Africa

By the 1870s and 1880s, mines in South Africa produced 95% of the world’s diamonds [3]. This provided colonial companies with almost exclusive access to the resource. During this time, Cecil John Rhodes was heavily involved in fierce rivalries and great wealth produced and extracted from the region. Some mines still operate to this day.

Pictured: Diamond mine in South Africa, 1890. [2]

1887

Colonial and Indian Exhibition

The exhibition was created in order to, in the words of the then Prince of Wales, “stimulate commerce and strengthen the bonds of union now existing in every portion of her Majesty’s Empire” [7]. Gregory was asked to write the report on the minerals and gems on show here.

<1894

Specimens bought from Gregory & Co.

Records at the university show an unknown quantity of specimens were bought from the dealership for an unknown price.

1899

John. R Gregory dies

The business is left to his son, Albert.

1931

Percy and Winifred Bottley take over the firm

The business was moved to Old Church Street and underwent considerable expansion, taking in the collections of many other dealers and collectors.

1956

Over 200 specimens acquired by the University of Bristol

Unknown in nature and price, over 200 specimens were bought from Gregory & Bottley.

1959

Mineral models acquired by the University

Models of famous individual stones were often made. In this case, our records show models of the Hope Diamond, Dresdon Green Diamond, and Tiffany Yellow Diamond were bought from the dealership.

Pictured: The Dresdon Green Diamond

1981

Percy Bottley dies

The business is acquired by Brian Lloyd. The business then became Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd.

2016

Gregry, Bottley & Lloyd merges with TimeLine Auctions

Bringing to an end, in name, the business that Gregory created in 1858, TimeLine Auctions put much of the collection up for auction. [5] [6]

The collection

Corundum is an aluminium-oxide and has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. Ruby variant. Locality: Mysore, India.
Grossular is a calcium-aluminium species of the garnet group of minerals. This variant is Hessonite. Locality: India

[1] https://www.thehousedirectory.com/end-of-an-era-for-gregory-bottley-lloyd/

[2] Frank G. Carpenter collection

[3] https://timelineauctions.com/about-our-premises/

[4] https://www.s2a3.org.za/bio/Biograph_final.php?serial=1140

[5] https://www.thehousedirectory.com/end-of-an-era-for-gregory-bottley-lloyd/

[6] Roy Starkey – The “Sale of the Century” – Gregory Bottley and Lloyd Auction – Canterbury 12th (mindat.org)

[7]  Saloni Mathur, India by Design: Colonial History and Cultural Display (Berkeley: U of California P, 2007), p.57.