Tag: Scandinavian jewellery

Designer Desire: Niels Erik From

Selection of jewellery designs by Niels Erik From | H is for Home

It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago and, as has become customary, Justin bought me a piece of vintage Scandi jewellery. This time, something by Danish designer, Niels Erik From (1908-1980). The item he bought me can be seen in the top pair of images above; a beautiful silver pendant with a cabochon rhodochrosite stone.

Beginning in 1931, From sold his work via his own retail premises. It was only in 1944 in the southern Danish town of Nakskov that he founded his smithy. He began his career producing designs in the Skønvirke style – a Danish movement similar to Art Nouveau. It’s his later work in the clean, modernist, geometric style which I far prefer. Ironically, these examples were created by other designers under From’s name.

If you like his designs, there are always examples for sale on Etsy, eBay and specialist vintage Scandinavian jewellery dealers. I think Justin bought this latest gift from Scandinavian Silver.

Image credits:

1st Dibs | Auktionsverket | Cream and Chrome | Dorotheum | John Kelly | Modernity

Designer Desire: Sigurd Persson

Mosaic of Sigurd Persson works | H is for Home

I just can’t get enough of vintage Scandinavian jewellery designers! Sigurd Persson is the latest in a number that we’ve featured here on Designer Desire.

Persson (1914-2003) was an important Swedish, post-war precious metalsmith and jewellery designer. In 1960, he had a career-boosting exhibition entitled 77 rings at the department store, Nordiska Kompaniet, where he showed… well… 77 of his ring designs. In 1964, he had his first international show of 150 pieces of his jewellery, commissioned by Georg Jensen. It took place at their store on 5th Avenue, New York. Oh to have been around at the time to have visited! The New York Times reported at the time:

A COLLECTION of jewelry that combines the clean, spare lines of Scandinavian design with a splendor that is partly old‐time barbaric and partly avant‐garde sophisticated goes on view today at Georg Jensen. The jewelry was created by Sigurd Persson, who is also known in his native Sweden for the chalices, crosses and candlesticks he has designed for churches.

The Persson collection can be divided roughly into two groups. One has a rather cool and airy look, remindful of the patterns of snowflakes. The other has a heavy, architectural appearance and plays up geometric shapes, as well as domes and arrangements of crossbars.

As you can see from the images above, he was so much more than a jewellery designer. In addition, he was a sculptor and product designer working in various mediums including metal, glass and plastic. In 1976, he designed the Swedish 5 krona coin which is still in circulation today.

Examples of his work can be found in the permanent collections of the V&A, MOMA and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

The series of books about his work (the bottom image, above) is currently available both singly and as a set on Abe Books.

Portrait of Sigurd Perssoncredit

Additional image credits: 1st Dibs | Artnet | Bukowskis

Designer Desire: Kultasepät Salovaara

Kultasepät Salovaara jewellery | H is for Home

This month, we bought a pretty little brooch – silver with what look to be amber cabochons – that we didn’t know anything about. We guessed it was Scandinavian and made sometime in the 60s/70s. When we got it home, we pulled out the magnifying glass and had a look at its hallmarks.

Vintage silver Kultasepät Salovaara brooch | H is for Home

There were 5 separate marks on the back that told us everything we needed to know:

Vintage silver Kultasepät Salovaara brooch hallmarks | H is for Home

  1. A bear (made by Kultasepät Salovaara)
  2. A crown within a heart (made in Finland)
  3. 813H (its silver fineness is 813/1000)
  4. The letter ‘A’ (made in the city of Turku)
  5. M7 (made in 1965)

We’d not come across this manufacturer before so we thought it would make another good Designer Desire subject. They mainly produced jewellery in varying fineness of silver, bronze and semi-precious stones so their pieces are very affordable. I’ve seen a simple bronze pendant for only 15€.

As expected, pieces are mainly available in Finland; however, you can find them on eBay, Etsy and specialist vintage Scandinavian jewellery sellers such as Caratia and Samantha Howard Vintage. If you’re interested in the brooch we have – drop us a line – it’s available for sale!

Additional image credits:

Auctionet | Bukowskis | Hopea

Designer Desire: Eva Hidström

Collage of Eva Hidström metalware and jewellery designs | H is for Home

There’s not a great deal of information on the internet about Eva Hidström – at least, not that I could find. She’s a 3rd generation Finnish metalware and jewellery designer based in Salo. She specialises in beautiful, colourful enamelware items.

She has produced work for Tillander, Suomalainen Koru and Kultakeskus Oy.

You can occasionally find examples of her work up for sale on Etsy and at specialist sales and auction houses such as T W Gaze, Auktionsverket and Bukowskis.

If you’d like to find out a little more about Hidström, there’s a more detailed feature with additional images by Jonas Forth who’s the CEO of Moomin.

If you can expand on what we know about Eva Hidström, please leave a comment below.

Portrait of Eva Hidströmcredit