Astrid Fog 1911 – 1993

Her first Georg Jensen jewelry collection was in 1969 with designs that were very sculptural and geometric. Fog was also associated with Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufacturer. Whether producing lamps, jewelry or clothing, Fog designs were always simple and sculptural. She was also a renowned fashion designer. She participated in exhibitions at the Danish National Arts and Crafts Association. Fog’s clothing design approach was key to her success in creating jewelry, showing how individual materials relate to design, particularly in jewelry.

Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hube know as Torun, was born 1927 in Malmo, Sweden. Torun was the first woman silversmith in the world to gain international recognition. She studied at Konstfack, the School of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, beginning in 1945 while pregnant with her first child, Pia. Eventually she married the child’s father, a Danish journalism student. In 1948, Torun spent the summer in Paris meeting Picasso, Braque, Matisse, and the other great artists of the day. She married a French architect and lived in Stockholm until 1956 having a second child, a son, Claude. As early as 1952, Torun exhibited her jewelry, made both in Stockholm and France (and bearing hallmarks from each country) in Paris. In 1956 she moved to France with her third husband, Walter Coleman. She designed jewelry for among others, Billie Holiday which Holiday wore when she performed. The couple moved to Biot in the south of France. Torun produced many pieces during this period when young Swedish silversmiths would come to work in her studio, introducing her to new techniques. Torun renewed her acquaintance with Picasso who lived in the area and an exhibition of Torun jewelry was held at the Picasso Museum in Antibes from 1958 to 1960. On November 5, 1992, Torun was awarded the Prince Eugen medal by King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden. bestowed for outstanding artistic achievement.

“It is a search for the source, the simple and natural, that impelled Torun’s creative work. Inspired by the art of primitive cultures, African, Oceanic, Egyptian, she created her forms not for the sake of beauty alone; but carefully considered both the form and function of each piece of jewellery she made. A practical detail such as the fastening is not concealed but on the contrary accentuated. She subscribed to the philosophy that what is functional is also beautiful”. Torun died in 2004.

A vinaigrette was intended to hold a tiny sponge dipped in aromatic vinegar. The interior is gilded to protect the silver from oxidation caused by the acidity of the vinegar. A hinged pierced inner lid or grille kept the soaked sponge in place. It may have been used to revive someone from a fainting spell. The maker of this vinaigrette, Joseph Willmore, was probably the most diverse manufacturer of “smallware” in Birmingham during the first half of the 19^th century. He registered his mark at the Birmingham Assay Office as a snuff-box maker in 1808 and continued to register marks until 1843. His death in 1855 brought an end to the Willmore connection with silversmithing which had begun with his grandfather Thomas in 1773. As well as having premises in Birmingham, Joseph Willmore had a showroom in London. He was described as a gold and silversmith and patent snuffer maker.