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Rings that remind me of things: Part 19

May8

Part 19 of an occasional series about rings in my Etsy shop that remind me of things.

Ring:

Kupittaan Kulta trapped carnelian orb ring. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details. I also have a chrysoprase (green chalcedony) ring in this design.

Thing:

Clackers, a much-beloved then banned playground toy of the late 60s/early 70s. Photo by Santishek, Wikimedia Commons.

So far I have had rings that remind me of an Iron Age hillfort, an alien spaceship, a cream horn, a radio telescope, Noah’s Ark, an octopus tentacle, spider eyes, Pluto and its moon Charon, the rings of Saturn, The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, some lichen, the stepped Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara in Egypt, the Quality Street lady, a herb knife, a sea anemone, an Iron Age miniature votive shield, the Mayan Temple of Kukulkan at Chichén Itzá, Mexico, and a screw propeller from SS ‘Great Britain’.

Norman Grant, silversmith

Apr25

I’ve recently become enamoured of the work of Norman Grant, a Scottish silversmith (and occasionally goldsmith) who produced gorgeous work from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. Grant used enamel beautifully; he also favoured organic shapes such as bubbles, circles and peacock feather-like details. Apparently he drew a lot of his inspiration from the nature he observed around him. His use of colour was beautiful too – he favoured mainly blues and purples, but also reds, oranges, ochres and browns.

There are several designs of his which I particularly love. The first is his ‘bubble’ jewellery, featuring open circles of silver, sometimes arranged randomly and sometimes like the petals of a flower.

Norman Grant enamel and sterling silver pendant, hallmarked in Edinburgh in 1979. (NOW SOLD).

Norman Grant sterling silver ring, 1978 Edinburgh hallmark. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

The second is a development of the bubble jewellery, but which features a peacock feather-like motif. The terminal heart-shaped motif has also been used on its own in his jewellery designs, and is described as a lily-pad.

A glorious Grant Norman peacock pendant, in enamel and sterling silver, with 1973-1974 Edinburgh hallmark. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

He also made many pieces in what could loosely be described as an Art Nouveau style, often with blowsy floral and botanical  motifs:

Norman Grant floral necklace, hallmarked in Edinburgh in 1979. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Norman Grant ginkgo leaf enamel and sterling silver pendant and chain. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

as well as scenes of local Scottish life:

Norman Grant sterling silver brooch of a thatched croft, hallmarked in Edinburgh in 1980. Click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

He also made nature-based pieces in a more modern style:

Norman Grant floral pendant and chain, with a 1978 Edinburgh hallmark. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Norman Grant pendant and necklace, hallmarked in Edinburgh in 1973-1974. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details (NOW SOLD).

Norman Grant enamel and sterling silver ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery. Click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

and more modernist, abstract pieces:

Norman Grant pendant and chain. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

After Grant retired from jewellery making to work for De Beers in London in the early 1980s, but his company, Dust Jewellery, continued making jewellery into the 1990s.

There are a couple of good articles online about Grant which are well illustrated and well worth a read:

http://www.modernsilver.com/normangrant.htm

https://www.modernvintagestyle.co.uk/blog-section/about-norman-grant-jewellery

H Dipper of Labuan

Apr18

My maternal grandparents lived and worked in what was then British North Borneo (now Sabah, a state in Malaysia) from 1919 to 1951, apart from home leave periods, and three and a half years spent in various internment camps in Borneo under the cruel keep of the Japanese during World War 2. My mother and her brother were born there in the early 30s, and I have been researching colonial life in British Borneo for quite a few years now. (One day I hope to publish a book about it. One day …)

The carpentry box belonging to H Dipper of Labuan, British North Borneo.

I watch Antiques Road Trip every now and then, and in a recently-aired episode I was interested to see a large wooden chest filled with carpenter’s tools. The name of the owner, H Dipper, was clearly written on the side; the first part of his address was a little less clear but I could just make out ‘LABUAN’ and below it ‘B. NORTH BORNEO’ (for British North Borneo); to the right of this was other script that had been rubbed out and so was pretty much illegible, though I could make out ‘BORNEO’ again. British North Borneo (first ruled by a Chartered Company and then post-war as a Crown Colony) ceased to be on 16 September 1963 with the formation of the independent Federation of Malaysia, after which time it was (and still is) known as Sabah. So that gives me a terminus ante quem for the date of this box and H Dipper’s sojourn on Labuan, a small island (and now a Federal Territory of Malaysia) off the south-west coast of Sabah.

I am curious to find out more about H Dipper and his life on Labuan. Were his tools part of his work? Maybe he worked for the PWD (Public Works Department)? Or was woodworking his hobby? Maybe the tools were added later and are nothing to do with the life of the box in Borneo. If anyone knows anything about H Dipper (I’m pretty confident in assuming he is a he) I would love to hear from you. You can leave a message in the comments field below.

The box was bought by Charles Hanson in Williton in Somerset for £55 and sold at an auction held by Lawrences of Crewkerne, Somerset for an impressive £220. The programme (Series 5, Episode 6) was first broadcast in October 2012, and I think was probably filmed in the spring of that year.

A little postscript: I do know at least that H Dipper was not one of the civilian internees held at Batu Lintang camp outside Kuching in Sarawak, Borneo, the camp where most of the civilians from British Borneo were held by the Japanese during WW2.

Animal jewellery part 2

Apr2

It’s been a while since I last did a blog post on the animal jewellery in my Etsy shop, and I have some new pieces.

First off, it’s frog time! The first frog spawn appeared in our pond on Thursday (29 March 2018) – quite a bit later than last year (7 March 2017) but the Beast from the East and the Mini Beast from the East put everything back quite significantly. In honour of our froggy friends I present:

Edwardian turquoise and red stone frog brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

1987 solid sterling silver frog brooch, London hallmark. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Art Deco celluloid cicada brooch, decorated with gold paint, probably French. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

1989 sterling silver scarab pendant. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Spider brooch with faux turquoise body. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Lion rampant ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

1989 sterling silver lion’s head ring, Sheffield hallmark. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Volmer Bahner red enamel butterfly pendant and chain. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

David-Andersen green enamel butterfly stud earrings. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

David-Andersen orange enamel butterfly stud earrings. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Victorian yellow glass ladybird brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Sterling silver owl brooch, in a Charles Rennie Mackintosh style. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Sterling silver bird pendant and chain by Magnus Maximus Designs. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

830 silver dolphin cufflinks, made in Denmark. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Sea beast / porpoise / dolphin / mythological creature ring in 850 (or possibly 950) silver. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Sterling silver fish brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Danish fish link bracelet in 830 silver. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Sterling silver fish brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Ram’s head bangle in 900 silver. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Danish leaping deer or gazelle brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Swedish pewter hare pendant and chain. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Zoomorphic Celtic brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Zoomorphic Celtic bar brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Zoomorphic pewter serpent brooch by Eivind G Hillestad of Norway, in a Viking  style. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

The full range of the animal jewellery in my Etsy shop can be seen here.

Rings that remind me of things: Part 18

Jan16

Part 18 of an occasional series about rings in my Etsy shop that remind me of things.

Ring:

1970 amethyst modernist sterling silver ring, hallmarked in London. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details.

Thing:

1:60 scale wooden model of a screw propeller of the SS ‘Great Britain’, the magnificent and innovative ship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and built in 1843. The ship is now a museum exhibit at Bristol; this model is in the Science Museum in London.

So far I have had rings that remind me of an Iron Age hillfort, an alien spaceship, a cream horn, a radio telescope, Noah’s Ark, an octopus tentacle, spider eyes, Pluto and its moon Charon, the rings of Saturn, The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, some lichen, the stepped Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara in Egypt, the Quality Street lady, a herb knife, a sea anemone, an Iron Age miniature votive shield and the Mayan Temple of Kukulkan at Chichén Itzá, Mexico.

Rings that remind me of things: Part 17

Jan4

Part 17 of an occasional series about rings in my Etsy shop that remind me of things.

Ring:

1971 modernist sterling silver ring, adjustable. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details.

Thing:

The Mayan Temple of Kukulkan, also known as the Castillo, at Chichén Itzá, Mexico. Photo by frankmx.

So far I have had rings that remind me of an Iron Age hillfort, an alien spaceship, a cream horn, a radio telescope, Noah’s Ark, an octopus tentacle, spider eyes, Pluto and its moon Charon, the rings of Saturn, The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, some lichen, the stepped Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara in Egypt, the Quality Street lady, a herb knife, a sea anemone and an Iron Age miniature votive shield.

Amethyst: February birthstone

Dec21

The deep rich purple of amethysts is so appealing. The stone, a form of quartz, is traditionally the birthstone for the month of February.

Naturally when I see a lovely piece of amethyst jewellery I try to get it for my Etsy shop. Below are some of my snaffles:

Kupittaan Kulta caged amethyst pendant, designed by Elis Kauppi. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Magnificent NE From modernist amethyst pendant necklace. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inlgenookery: click on photo for details.

1970 amethyst flower ring, hallmarked in London. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From modernist amethyst ring – a great example of Danish design. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

A 1990 Celtic style brooch with a central facetted amethyst, by Malcolm Gray of Ortak on the Orkney Islands, Scotland. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

A 1972 amethyst and sterling silver choker, by Daedalus Ltd of London. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

This could almost be part of a set with the necklace above: it too dates from 1972. This amethyst and sterling silver ring was made by Magnus Maximus Designs in Cumbria. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

An amethyst and sterling silver modernist bar brooch by NE From of Denmark. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

A stunning amethyst orb ring from 1968 by the Danish master, Hans Hansen. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Caged amethyst and sterling silver bracelet. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

1970s modernist amethyst and sterling silver adjustable ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

1967 NE From amethyst necklace, a superb piece of Danish modernist design. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

1970s amethyst pendant and chain. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Arts and Crafts style amethyst and sterling silver brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Huge 1930s Arts and Crafts facetted amethyst ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Amethyst and silver tone plated modernist ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Jugendstil amethyst and 935 silver brooch in the form of ginkgo leaves. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From modernist amethyst wishbone ring: more Danish deliciousness. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Danish ring featuring a tumble polished amethyst in a silver plated frame. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Amethyst is such a popular stone it is also mimicked in glass, also known as amethyst paste or crystal:

Amethyst paste and sterling silver brooch by Charles Horner. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

1970s modernist stainless steel and amethyst glass hexagonal link bracelet. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Victorian amethyst paste and pinchbeck brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Rings that remind me of things: Part 16

Dec15

Part 16 of an occasional series about rings in my Etsy shop that remind me of things.

Ring:

1977 tiger’s eye ring with a shield shaped head, Birmingham hallmark. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Thing:

Miniature Iron Age copper alloy shield (65 mm by 35 mm), part of the Salisbury Hoard found at Netherhampton, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, and now in the British Museum.

So far I have had rings that remind me of an Iron Age hillfort, an alien spaceship, a cream horn, a radio telescope, Noah’s Ark, an octopus tentacle, spider eyes, Pluto and its moon Charon, the rings of Saturn, The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, some lichen, the stepped Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara in Egypt, the Quality Street lady, a herb knife and a sea anemone.

UPDATE: NOW SOLD.

Liisa Vitali

Dec11

Liisa Vitali (born in Helsinki, Finland on 9 November 1918, died on her 69th birthday, 9 November 1987) was a Finnish jewellery designer and maker known for her modernist designs that were often drawn from nature. Her jewellery series include the ‘Ladybird’, ‘Lace’, ‘Gardenia’ and ‘Cat’s paw’ designs.

Liisa Vitali.

Liisa Vitali Pitsi (‘Lace’) bracelet, 1973, in sterling silver. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details.

Liisa’s family moved to a farm at Viluksela, a small village in the municipality of Somero in southern Finland, in 1920. After the death of her parents, Liisa and her brother Väinö continued to look after the farm. Liisa had long been interested in jewellery design, winning a school competition with a jewellery set that she had made.

Liisa Vitali. Love how her blouse matches her jewellery!

Some of Liisa Vitali’s designs, including Pitsi (‘Lace’) in the main panel, Leppäkerttu ja iso kivi (‘Ladybird and big stone’) top right, Nuppu (‘Bud’) middle right, and Muurahaisenpolku (‘Ant’s path’ or ‘Ant trail’) bottom right.

1971 Liisa Vitali ‘Ladybird’ sterling silver ring with trapped carnelian orb. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details (NOW SOLD).

As I don’t read Finnish I have found it hard to piece together much more about Liisa’s life: there appear to be conflicting reports of her training, or lack thereof, and which jewellers she may or may not have worked with.

I have read that she started making jewellery to sell in the 1950s, self-taught and working from a home workshop on a small scale in between her farming duties; that she started her career in jewellery-making working for jeweller Kaija Aarikka; that she trained for a short time alongside the great designer Tapio Wirkkala at the Nestor Westerback workshop; that at first her designs were only available from her workshop on the farm, and from Kaija Aarikka’s shop.

Vitali’s designs were manufactured by various companies, including Aatos Hauli, Mauri Sarparanta, Nestor Westerback Ky, and Kultakeskus.

1960s advert for Liisa Vitali’s jewellery.

Some of Liisa Vitali’s designs, including examples of  Pitsi (‘Lace’), Leppäkerttu ja iso kivi (‘Ladybird and big stone’), Nuppu (‘Bud’), and Muurahaisenpolku (‘Ant trail’).

Perhaps her most famous designs are the Leppäkerttu ja iso kivi (‘Ladybird and big stone’, ‘Ladybird’ or ‘Ladybug’) and Pitsi (‘Lace’) series. These are visually very similar, with circular cut-outs in sheet silver or less commonly gold, forming a lacy, holey effect. She also used the lacy cut-outs in her Nuppu (‘Bud’) and Muurahaisenpolku (‘Ant trail’) series. Her love of the natural world is clear in her jewellery, and the inspiration it provided her with can be seen in the names she chose for her various series.

Liisa Vitali.

During her life, Vitali’s work was highly thought-of, and was exported around the world. Apparently Princess Margaret was a fan. Following her death and changing fashions, it fell out of vogue for a while. In 2009 Kultakeskus Oy began to remanufacture Vitali’s designs, bringing them to a whole new audience.

Some named designs by Liisa Vitali:

Ampiaisenpesä (‘Beehive’)

Gardenia (‘Gardenia’)

Kesäheinä (‘Summer hay’)

Kevät (‘Spring’)

Kissantassujen (‘Cat’s paws’)

Leinikki (‘Buttercup’)

Lemmenkukka

Leppäkerttu, Leppäkerttu ja iso kivi (‘Ladybird’, ‘Ladybird and big stone’, ‘Ladybug’)

Muurahaisenpolku (‘Ant trail’)

Nuppu (‘Bud’ or ‘flowerbud’)

Nyöri (‘Cordon’)

Pitsi (‘Lace’)

Ruusu (‘Rose’)

Tuulenpesä (‘The wind’s nest’)

Villiviini (‘Wild wine’)

Further reading:

Leeni Tiirakari 2012, Design Liisa Vitali, Amanita. Available from a Finnish online bookseller.

The Unthanks: Magpie

Nov19

Every now and then I hear a song for the first time and it becomes an instant earworm. ‘Magpie’, by the English folk band The Unthanks, is just such a song. I don’t often listen to folk music, so this song would probably have passed me by, had it not featured at the end of the first episode of the third series of the BBC comedy, Detectorists.

The series centres around two metal detectorists and is filmed in the bucolic Suffolk countryside. It is a lovely, gentle series, in which not a lot happens. As an archaeologist I’m no fan of metal dectectorists and the damage they can (and so often do) wreak on archaeological sites, but the ending of this particular episode summed up in a beautiful montage what I often wonder about the finds I dig up: who they belonged to, the lives lived, and how the pieces ended up where they ended up. So many stories.

Dectectorists is written, directed by and stars the talented Mackenzie Crook, and co-stars Toby Jones. It is currently midway through its third series, broadcast on BBC4, and can be viewed on catch-up on the BBC iPlayer.

‘Magpie’ is a track on The Unthanks’ 2015 album Mount the Air, and uses the traditional English nursery rhyme about the magpie to wonderful effect, with additional lyrics emphasising a pagan theme and music by Dave Dodds. Here’s the full version of the song, with a fan-made video:

Here are The Unthanks performing the song live on Later with Jools Holland:

The magpie (Pica pica) is a beautiful black and white corvid, a familiar bird in the English countryside and one with a rich tradition of symbolism and folk history attached to it.

Magpie (Pica pica). Photo by Andreas Eichler.

I invariably automatically count out the number according to the rhyme when I see a group of magpies (or rarely a singleton: they are gregarious birds). Apparently Crook was inspired by The Unthanks’ song, and certainly the magpie theme has carried on into the second episode, with magpies being featured at the start and finish. I wonder if they will prove to be more significant or symbolic as the series progresses.

31 JANUARY 2018 UPDATE: Here’s a bittersweet coda to the very scene that was featured in video clip from The Detectorists above. Almost worthy of Andy and Lance’s travails!