Tag Archive | Danish jewellery

Rings that remind me of things: Part 13

Aug15

Part 13 of an occasional series about rings in my Etsy shop that remind me of things.

Ring:

Niels Erik From 1960s rose quartz ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Thing:

The Quality Street lady. (Bit of a throwback to my childhood Christmases, this one)

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, and the stepped Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara in Egypt.

UPDATE: The ring is now sold. Sorry!

Moss agate

Mar17

Moss agate is such a beautiful and appealing stone, with its beautiful dark green mossy filaments and sometimes with rusty red or occasionally black inclusions as well. It occurs naturally in Scotland, and so it comes as little surprise that it was, and is, commonly used in Scottish jewellery.

Moss agate is a form of chalcedony, and is sometimes called dendritic agate. Both ‘moss’ and ‘dendritic’ refer to the organic appearance of the filaments within the stone. Despite their appearance, they are mineral rather than vegetable!

I am fascinated by moss agate and always try to have some in my Etsy shop. Below are a selection: some are for sale and some have already sold (marked as such).

Art Deco moss agate necklace. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Handmade moss agate ring, hallmarked 1970. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Vintage John Hart Scottish moss agate and sterling silver brooch, 1962. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photos for details.

Vintage John Hart Scottish moss agate and sterling silver brooch, 1962. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photos for details.

Moss agate Celtic brooch by Thomas Kerr Ebbutt, hallmarked Edinburgh 1965. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photos for details.

Huge moss agate and silver tone metal modernist statement ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Vintage moss agate and sterling silver bangle, 1971. Click on photos for details. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage modernist ring by N E From with moss agate.

Vintage Danish modernist ring by N E From with moss agate and sterling silver. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photos for details. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage John Hart Scottish moss agate and sterling silver brooch, 1962. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photos for details. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage John Hart Scottish moss agate and sterling silver brooch, 1971. Click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage Scottish moss agate ring, 1964. Click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Moss agate ring. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Moss agate ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage oval moss agate ring, with a Celtic style sterling silver mount. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photos for details. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage John Hart Scottish moss agate and sterling silver brooch, 1957. Click on photos for details. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage John Hart Scottish moss agate and sterling silver brooch, 1957. Click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage John Hart Scottish moss agate and sterling silver brooch, 1965. Click on photos for details. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage John Hart Scottish moss agate and sterling silver brooch, 1965. Click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage Art Deco moss agate and sterling silver ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photos for details. (NOW SOLD).

Vintage Art Deco moss agate pendant and chain, 1920s 1930s design. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photos for details.

Vintage Art Deco moss agate pendant and chain, 1920s 1930s design. (NOW SOLD).

N E From designs, #1: asymmetrical concave discs

Aug18

The more I study Niels Erik From’s modernist jewellery, the more I like it. I don’t know whether it’s to do with my archaeological career, and the years spent working on finds from various excavations, but I am an inveterate typologiser. I just can’t help it. So I have noticed the variations in the various designs that N E From used in his jewellery.

NE From rose quartz ring, with a larger head at 16 mm diameter. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. Design #1.1.1

Usually he made a suite of jewellery types – rings, brooches, earrings, cufflinks, bracelets, necklaces, pendants – and in a variety of themes all riffing on a basic design, and using a range of different semi-precious stones. Putting my Linnaean hat on, I’m going to start with what I rather clunkily call his asymmetrical concave disc design. It probably has a proper name given to it by From, but I don’t know what that is.

The characteristic features of this design are a dished, concave disc of silver, into which is set, asymmetrically and near the edge of the disc, a cabochon semi precious stone (or sometimes a solid silver cabochon) held in a plain collet. The silver around the collet is oxidised to give a blackish effect, to contrast with the rest of the disc, which is untreated and silvery.

N E From amethyst ring, 15 mm diameter head. NOW SOLD: click on photo for details. Design #1.1.1

N E From black onyx ring, 15 mm diameter head. NOW SOLD: click on photo for details. Design #1.1.1

NE From amazonite ring with a smaller diameter head (13 mm). For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photos for details. Design #1.1.1

NE From rose quartz and sterling silver ring, this one with a smaller head at 13 mm diameter. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. Design #1.1.1

This basic design is also found in brooches:

N E From solid silver brooch, for sale by decotini on Etsy: click on photo for details. This design is also occasionally seen as a pendant brooch, with an additional small loop attachment on the back to allow it to be worn as a pendant. 45 mm diameter. Design #1.1.2

and earrings:

Niels Eric From modernist rose quartz clip on earrings. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD). Design #1.1.3

and cufflinks:

N E From tiger’s eye cufflinks. For sale at vintagecufflinks.com: click on photo for details. Design #1.1.4

and bracelets:

N E From blue glass bracelet. For sale at scandinaviansilver.co.uk: click on photo for details. Design #1.1.5

and necklaces:

N E From solid silver necklace. Design #1.1.6

and pendants:

Niels Erik From rhodochrosite and sterling silver pendant. Click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD). Design #1.1.7

N E From amethyst pendant. For sale at JohnKelly1880.co.uk: click on photo for details. 42 mm diameter. Design #1.1.7Okay, now we’ve got the basics out of the way, let’s start riffing.

Multiple discs in a row:

N E From Baltic amber moderist brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details.

N E From Baltic amber brooch. NOW SOLD: click on photo for details. Design #1.2.1

Multiple discs in an equal sized trefoil arrangement:

N E From amethyst brooch. NOW SOLD by VintageJewelsNL on Etsy: click on photo for details. Design #1.2.2

N E From rose quartz pendant. #1.2.3

Multiple discs in an unequal sized trefoil arrangement:

N E From silver earrings. For sale on Etsy: click photo for details.

N E From silver earrings. For sale on eBay: click photo for details.

Rings of six discs:

N E From rose quartz brooch. For sale at Estate925 at trocadero.com: click on photo for details. Design #1.2.5

N E From amber pendant. Design #1.2.6

Discs interspersed with open circles:

Niels Erik From rose quartz modernist bracelet with five discs. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. Design #1.3.1

N E From rose quartz bracelet with six discs. NOW SOLD: click on photo for details. Design #1.3.1

N E From rose quartz necklace. (Possibly a bracelet later converted into a necklace?). Design #1.3.2

Discs with surrounding circles:

N E From rose quartz earrings. Design #1.4.1

N E From chrysoprase bracelet. Design #1.4.2

N E From amber necklace. Design #1.4.3

N E From amethyst pendant. NOW SOLD: click on photo for details. Design #1.4.4

NE From Baltic amber pendant and chain. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. Design #1.4.4

Discs with surrounding double circles:

N E From chrysoprase brooch. NOW SOLD by VintageDesignSilver on Etsy: click on photos for details. Design #1.5.1

N E From rose quartz earrings. NOW SOLD by PatriciaJon on Etsy: click on photo for details. by Design #1.5.2

N E From amber pendant. Design #1.5.3

Discs with surrounding ovals:

N E From amber bracelet. For sale at vintage-jewels.nl: click on photo for details. Design #1.6.1

N E From rose quartz necklace. Design #1.6.2

I’m sure there are plenty of other variations I haven’t come across yet. It’s fun looking!

Cabochon semi precious stone types I have seen used in the various designs:

Single arrangements:

Design #1.1.1 (ring): amber, amethyst, chrysoprase/green chalcedony, glass (blue), ivory, malachite, onyx (black), rhodochrosite, rose quartz, solid silver, tiger’s eye.

Design #1.1.2 (brooch): amber, chrysoprase/green chalcedony, glass (blue), rose quartz, solid silver.

Design #1.1.3 (earrings): amethyst, chrysoprase/green chalcedony, rose quartz, solid silver.

Design #1.1.4 (cufflinks): amber, rose quartz, tiger’s eye.

Design #1.1.5 (bracelet): chrysoprase/green chalcedony, glass (blue), rose quartz, solid silver.

Design #1.1.6 (necklace): solid silver.

Design #1.1.7 (pendant): amber (small and large), chrysoprase/green chalcedony (large), rhodochrosite (small), rose quartz (small and large).

Multiple arrangements

Design #1.2.1 (row brooch): amber, rose quartz, tiger’s eye.

Design #1.2.2 (equal trefoil brooch): amber, amethyst, rose quartz.

Design #1.2.3 (equal trefoil pendant): rose quartz.

Design #1.2.4 (unequal triple earrings): solid silver.

Design #1.2.5 (ring of six discs brooch): chrysoprase/green chalcedony, rose quartz.

Design #1.2.6 (ring of six discs pendant): amber

Discs interspersed with open circles

Design #1.3.1 (bracelet): amethyst, rose quartz.

Design #1.3.2 (bracelet): rose quartz.

Discs with surrounding circles

Design #1.4.1 (earrings): rose quartz.

Design #1.4.2 (bracelet): chrysoprase/green chalcedony.

Design #1.4.3 (necklace): amber.

Design #1.4.4 (pendant): amethyst, tiger’s eye.

Discs with surrounding double circles

Design #1.5.1 (brooch): amethyst, chrysoprase/green chalcedony.

Design #1.5.2 (earrings): rose quartz.

Design #1.5.3 (pendant): amber.

Discs with surrounding ovals

Design #1.6.1 (bracelet): amber.

Design #1.6.2 (necklace): rose quartz.

Grapey delights

May16

The other day Chap and I enjoyed a really terrific bottle of red wine, given to us by my Aussie wine loving lovely, wonderful Pa: Peter Lehmann’s The Pastor’s Son Shiraz 2009. Dad is a massive Australian wine fan and regularly gives us great thumping great Aussie shirazes (his favourite grape variety for wine and ours too). All his wines are fantastic, but this one had that extra something.

So. Not that I’m a lush or anything (hic), but I somehow seem to have amassed a collection of grapey jewellery in my Etsy shop.

Here’s a vine leaf ring:

A vintage Danish 830 silver ring by S. Chr. Fogh of Copenhagen, for sale in my Etsy shop. Click on photo for details.

A vine leaves and bunch of grapes brooch:

Baltic amber and sterling silver brooch, for sale in my Etsy shop. Click for details.

Vintage Baltic amber and sterling silver brooch, for sale in my Etsy shop. Click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

A bunches of grapes bracelet:

Vintage Danish 830 silver link bracelet by Chr. Veilskov. Click on photos for details. (NOW SOLD).

and a French Art Deco brooch with fruit, leaves, and two birds after the crop:

Art Deco silver brooch by H Teguy, France, 1920s, Basque jewellery. For sale in my Etsy shop. Click on photo for details.

Art Deco silver brooch by H Teguy, France, Basque designer, 1920s. For sale in my Etsy shop. Click on photo for details.

(Okay, this last one might be a bunch of berries rather than grapes because the leaves aren’t vine leaves … but it has a grapey vibe that’ll do for me!)

Update. And the viticulture love goes on: a recent(ish) addition to the shop is a pair of blue glass grape earrings:

Grape earrings, for sale in my Etsy shop. Click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

Scandinavian silver

Apr11

UPDATE May 2017: For Scandinavian silver pieces currently in my Etsy shop, please click here.

I seem to be sourcing more and more pieces of 20th century Scandinavian silver jewellery for my shop. I started off with the idea of stocking early 20th century pieces – English Arts and Crafts, Germanic Jugendstil and Nordic Skønvirke jewellery, but gradually my eye was drawn towards the sleek, minimalist lines of mid century Scandinavian modernist jewellery as well.

A selection of Scandinavian jewellery. Click on photo for details.

A few of the pieces of Scandinavian jewellery for sale in my Etsy shop. Click on photo to see my current selection of Scandinavian jewellery and silver objects.

At the moment I have 40 pieces of Scandinavian silver for sale in my Etsy shop, and more to come that I haven’t got round to listing yet!

Coming up roses

Apr3

I’ve just realised I seem to have a lot of rose jewellery in my shop at the moment. This is totally unintentional—I think I must have have a subconscious thing for the little beauties!

Grann & Laglye Skønvirke malachite and silver brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details.

From Denmark, I have a beautiful Grann & Laglye Skønvirke malachite and silver brooch with a rose border. Skønvirke (meaning ‘beautiful work’, and which is often anglicised to Skonvirke) was a development of the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movements as developed in the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Grann & Lagyle was founded in 1906 in Copenhagen, Denmark by Jalhannes Lauritz Grann (1885—1945) and Johannes Laglye (1878—?). The firm finally closed in 1955.

Also Scandinavian, probably from Denmark, and from the same period I have a lovely Skønvirke pendant with a rose design:

Scandinavian, probably Danish Skonvirke rose pendant and chain. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

I also have an Art Nouveau style ring with a lovely rose design, made by Chritsoph Widmann of Pforzheim, Germany. This design is known as the Hildesheimer Rose, and is named after the wild or dog rose (Rosa canina) that grows up the walls of Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany. This famous rose is said to be over a thousand years old.

Art Nouveau style 835 silver ring by Christoph Widmann of Pforzheim, Germany, with a Hildesheimer Rose design. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details.

Art Nouveau style 800 silver ring by Christoph Widmann of Pforzheim, Germany, with a Hildesheimer Rose design. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details.

I also have a socking great modernist silver tone metal pendant with a rose design (well, I say rose—it just as easily could be a camellia or a gardenia or similar). This takes some wearing, as it weighs almost 20 g.

Big silver tone metal rose pendant. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

And finally I also have a Malcolm Gray Ortak sterling silver and enamel brooch, with a design inspired by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and featuring a Glasgow Rose.

Malcolm Gray Ortak sterling silver and pink enamel Glasgow Rose brooch, inspired by the designs of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. For sale in my Etsy shop: click on photo for details. (NOW SOLD).

And to go with the jewellery roses, here are a few flowery beauties that I have photographed:

Rosa ‘Madame Hardy’, in our garden, June 2006. This beautiful damask rose has a tiny green button at the centre of the white flowers.

Rosa ‘Climbing Souvenir de la Malmaison’ in our garden, June 2006. The buds of this spoil very easily in the rain.

And again, in June 2007. Rosa ‘Climbing Souvenir de la Malmaison’ is a climbing bourbon rose.

Rosa ‘Constance Spry’ growing up an apple tree in my sister’s garden in Devon. This is a climbing shrub rose with gaudy pink flowers of the most gorgeous cupped shape.

and here’s a photo of the Hildersheimer Rose growing against the wall of the apse of Hildesheim Cathedral:

Niels Erik From: Danish silversmith

Oct3

PLEASE NOTE: Even though this is an old post, I update it every time I get a new piece of Niels Erik From jewellery for my shop. So if you are interested in his wonderful jewellery, do bookmark this page!

I have a real soft spot for the work of Niels Erik From, the Danish jeweller (1908—1982). He is considered one of the greats of Danish silver design, and his pieces are very collectable. I am lucky to have some of his jewellery for sale in my Etsy shop at the moment. It’s always a great day when I get my hands on some of his beauties! NE From sterling silver daisy pendant and chain. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

(As this blog post was getting rather unwieldy, I have moved all the NE From items I have sold to a new blog post, which can be found here.)

NE From amethyst ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From Baltic amber and sterling silver pendant. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From sterling silver daisy pendant and chain. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details. (I have three of these in total – please contact me if you would like to buy more than one).

NE From modernist chrysoprase ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Large and striking NE From facetted smoky quartz pendant with a hidden suspension loop. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From Baltic amber pendant with a sterling silver mount. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From rock crystal modernist ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photos for details.

NE From Baltic amber clip on earrings. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery.

NE From Baltic amber pendant and curved solid bar chain necklace. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From amethyst modernist pendant and paperclip chain. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Sweater or collar clips by Niels Erik From: such a fantastic sculptural design. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From chrysoprase post ring, with a 1974 London import mark. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Another view of the NE From chrysoprase post ring, showing the stem under the head. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From Baltic amber ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From sterling silver ring. This one is UK size H, US size 4 1/4, European size 46, and has an internal diameter of c. 17 mm x 15 mm (the shank is not quite a true circle), but I think it is actually a very slightly larger ring size than this. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From amethyst modernist ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From chrysoprase ring. This one is UK size M, US size 6 1/2 – 6 3/4, European size 52 1/2 and has an internal diameter of c. 17.5 mm. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From chrysoprase ring. This one is UK size N, US size 7 – 7 1/4, European size 53 1/2 – 54 and has an internal diameter of c. 18 mm. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From chrysoprase ring. This one is UK size P – P 1/2, US size 8 1/4, European size 56 1/2 and has an internal diameter of 18.5 mm. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From rose quartz ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From (Niels Erik From) plain sterling silver band. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From (Niels Erik From) rhodochrosite ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From (Niels Erik From) amethyst and sterling silver ring. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

NE From (Niels Erik From) amethyst and sterling silver modernist bar brooch. For sale in my Etsy shop, Inglenookery: click on photo for details.

Despite the high regard in which his work is held, I haven’t been able to find out too much about Mr From. He first started working as a silversmith in 1931, and he registered his silversmithy in Nakskov, in south Denmark, in 1944. His earlier pieces developed out of the organic Skønvirke style, a Scandinavian development of the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movements. From designed these early pieces himself, and they are characterised by floral and foliage motifs, as well as other inspirations from nature, such as fish.design.

From the 1950s onwards most of From’s pieces were designed by other designers, and have a markedly different look—out went the detailed, romantic designs from nature, and in came modernist, clean lines with abstract and geometric shapes. Occasionally the modern designs took nature as their inspiration, with abstract leaf and blossom shapes, but generally they followed the modern trend of the 1950s for sparse, minimalist design. But ever the canny businessman, From continued manufacturing some of the popular older Skønvirke style jewellery alongside the modernist pieces.

In 1960 From’s son-in-law Hilmer Jensen joined the company, and he took over following From’s death in 1982. However, the company failed to flourish and it closed in 1990.

I used to keep the pieces of his that I have sold listed here, but the page was getting too unwieldy. I have moved all my N E From sold pieces to a new page, here.

A more detailed exploration of one of From’s designs can be found here, with more to come as I find time to write them!

The maker’s marks on From’s pieces varied over the years. On the earliest pieces in the Skønvirke style, the maker’s mark is ‘FROM 830.S’, with the 830 referring to the silver content of 830 parts per 1000.

‘FROM 830.S’ on a silver cufflink by Niels Erik From in the Skønvirke style.

An intermediate mark used in the 1940s and 1950s, on the earlier Skønvirke style jewellery, reading ‘FROM 925S’ in capitals:

‘FROM 925S’ mark on one of the earlier Skønvirke style rings. The 925 refers to the silver content of 925 parts per 1000, ie sterling silver.

An intermediate mark used in the 1950s and 1960s, reading ”N.E. From’ in flowing handwriting-like script; sometimes also with ‘925S STERLING DANMARK’ in capitals used on a modernist ring from the 60s:

Modernist N E From amber ring I sold in my shop, with the same style of mark: Danmark spelling again. (NOW SOLD).

A different mark used from the 1950s onwards was ‘STERLING DENMARK N.E. FROM 925 S’. This mark occurs on both the modernist pieces and on the pieces in the earlier Skønvirke style that From continued to produce as they were so popular:

The maker's mark on the back of the clip on earrings in my Etsy shop, reading 'STERLING DENMARK N.E. FROM 925 S'. The 925 refers to the silver content of 925 parts per 1000, ie sterling silver.

The maker’s mark on the back of the modernist clip on earrings in my Etsy shop, reading ‘STERLING DENMARK N.E. FROM 925 S’. (NOW SOLD).

Mark ‘FROM 925 S.’ used in the 1960s and 1970s: Mark used in the 1970s: ‘N.E. FROM STERLING 925S. DANMARK’:

Mark on a brooch dating from the 1970s: ‘N.E. FROM STERLING 925S. DANMARK’