The Radical Soul of English Vintage Jewelry

English jewelry is synonymous with iconic, contemporary and handcrafted jewels; English vintage jewelry is even more remarkable. Think about Andrew Grima, John Donald and Wendy Ramshaw, they were jewelers working in London throughout the 1960s and ‘70s, a period of seismic changes in the arts, architecture, technology, design, fashion, music, women’s rights and youth culture. Their ‘precious’ works fostered a renaissance in jewelry, making London relevant once more as a hub of innovation. Modern design and art jewelry gallery Mahnaz Collection strongly beliefs that their influential and timeless modern jewelry might be catching for new jewelry audiences as well as those interested in art and design, that’s why they just dedicated an exhibition to those pioneers of independent and artist-made jewelry: ‘London Originals: The Jeweler’s Art in Radical Times.’ To open today (11th April) and running till April 20, 2018 at Wright, 980 Madison Avenue in New York City, it features 150 pieces of jewelry from the 1960s and ‘70s, exceptional works made by Andrew Grima, John Donald, George Weil, Charles de Temple, Gerda Flockinger, Tom Scott, Kutchinsky, Barbara Cartlidge, David Thomas, Wendy Ramshaw, and David Watkins.

The exhibition aims to provide new visibility in the United States for the London Originals. Curator Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos stated: «Very diverse, the work is impressive because of its uniquely direct love affair with nature; engagement with technology; originality in design, matched by superb craftsmanship; experimentation with gold; and the use of unusual gemstones, minerals and non- precious materials. Reflective of the broader cultural moment, the London Originals argued for the elevation of the value of design and the hand of the maker, and opened once more the question of the relationship of jewelry to art and design.»