Arts and antiques at the NEC

With a replica of Kate Middleton's ring for around £14,000 and a Lowry painting costing £325,000, the current fair at the NEC could set you back a pretty penny.

The National Fine Art and Antiques Fair is the UK's most prestigious event of its kind outside London and is on at the Birmingham venue until Sunday.

The event attracts more than 10,000 visitors from all over the world, offering a variety of fine arts and antiques at prices ranging from under £500 to over £100,000.

Visitors can enjoy beautiful furniture, paintings, silver, porcelain, jewellery and exquisite works of art from Britain's finest dealers in a boutique setting.

Items on sale are carefully vetted by teams of independent experts to ensure authenticity and the best quality.

Among the experts is Charles Hajdamach from Broadfield House Glass Museum in Kingswinford.

"As chairman of the glass section I go around every stand at the fair and look at the glass items, as well as the label on it, to see if there is any discrepancy," he said.

"Every item is vetted so it provides a trading standards quality for visitors to the fair.

"I moved to Dudley in 1974 and helped to establish Broadfield House Glass Museum and build up their collection.

"It was wonderful working in the Black Country when all the glass factories were up and running and it was great to go in and speak to anyone from the guys on the shop floor up to the managing director and the chairman."

The impressive fair brings together around 60 dealers and transforms the NEC into a stylish and dramatic showcase for the finest antiques and art.

Tiffany Pritchard, show director, said: "This is welcome news for our visitors, now there's never been a better time to buy antiques. Fine art and antiques are always fantastic investments as well as beautiful objects to brighten our homes so visitors can make the most of their money when they visit the fair."

Held in Hall 11 at the NEC, the National Fine Art & Antiques fair opens at 11am on Wednesday 12th January and runs until 5pm on Sunday 16th January 2011. Tickets are priced at £12 or £10 in advance and include free car parking and visitor guide.