Private insurance insights

If the last five to ten years are anything to go by, there are some gifts from Christmases past now worth far more than their original purchase price says James McDowell, Aon’s Head of Fine Art.

Stolen presents, burst pipes and inadequate travel insurance can all conspire to put a dampener on your Christmas and holiday season celebrations.

While shoots for friends and family are intended as informal events, problems can easily arise which can lead  to significant losses.

Buying insurance direct is easy. Buying the right insurance, however, can be very difficult indeed and getting it wrong often proves costly. We asked the Aon Private Clients team to explain why it pays to use a broker.

Amanda Harman, Head of Estates Practice at Aon Private Clients discusses how she helped a client who had recently purchase a 600 year old, Grade 2 listed, historic property with their insurance needs.

The future for country estates is uncertain at the best of times, but as Britain prepares to leave the EU, landowners are seeking ever more creative ways of generating income. Some of the most ingenious ideas are coming from the younger generation…

The art of the enameller reached its zenith with the Art Nouveau movement. Today, famous names such as Fabergé and Lalique command record prices at auction – and inspire a new generation of jewellers and collectors. Zoe Dare Hall looks at enamel’s appeal.

Digital technology is changing the way we view art, making it difficult to tell originals apart from top-quality reproductions. So what might that mean for the investment market?

Art as an investment is a risky business, but provided you only buy works you like, there’s enjoyment – and sometimes even profit – to be had in trying to spot the next big star, as Alastair Smart explains.