Jewellery from the Swinging Sixties - once relegated to the bottom of the jewellery box or worse, the melting pot is now back in vogue. The commercial stock of a range of pioneering British goldsmiths from the post-war era has risen substantially since the turn of the 21st century. And the coolest of cool Britannia is Andrew Grima (1921-2007).
9 November 2022
Italian émigré Grima opened on staid Jermyn Street in 1966, his landmark shop with its facade of latticed slate and steel, a huge aluminium door that opened via a pressure pad and a Perspex spiral staircase. Designed by his brothers and opened by Lord Snowdon, it looked, wrote one critic, ‘like a lair for a villain in an early Bond movie’.
A 9ct gold plaited effect hollow bracelet, by Kutchinsky, c.1960, £2,000 - £3,000
The jewels inside were just as cutting edge. Grima and his contemporaries such as John Donald, Alan Gard, Gerda Flöckinger, Charles de Temple, Kutchinsky and Roy C. King revolutionised the jewellery world in the 1950s and 60s. Together they embraced the organic and crystalline qualities of uncut semi-precious minerals and adopted an experimental approach to goldsmithing. Grima, who championed the use of textured gold, once cast a brooch from pencil shavings and another from a leaf. Lot number 183 in our Fine Jewellery and Watch sale on the 23rd of November exhibits this classic Grima textured feature.
A pair of 9ct gold cufflinks, by Charles de Temple, c.1960, £500 - £700
At the peak of his fame in the 1970s, when he held a royal warrant as jeweller by appointment to the Queen, Grima had galleries in Zurich, Hong Kong. New York, Tokyo and Sydney.
We are lucky enough to have an 18ct gold emerald ring by Andrew Grima, c.1960 included in our upcomming 23 November Fine Jewellery and Sale.
The ring is accompanied by the original purchase receipt from Andrew Grima Ltd. dated 01/08/1969 and is presented in a black leather drawstring pouch with the Andrew Grima London gilt metal seal.
An 18ct gold emerald ring, by Andrew Grima, c.1960, £2,500 - £3,500
To find out more about this item and our upcoming sale, please contact our Jewellery department jewellery@sworder.co.uk | 01279 817778
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