This article will give a presentation of
the 'Troll jewelry Series' of the Norwegian company David-Andersen, 'The
Stone Series' from 1964 and 'The Silver Series' from 1966.
The Stone Series
In November of 1964, David-Andersen launched a new collection of cast
silver jewelry called the 'Troll Series'. It soon became a great success.
This collection of cast jewelry was characterized by a new sense of simplicity
and the use of stones found in Norway, such as the green/turquoise Amazonite
and red/pink Thulite.
A prominent point in the creation of the collection was the increased
emphasis on the artistic value of the pieces themselves, rather than on
the economic value of the materials used. This was jewelry not meant to
impress and state the economic status of the wearer, but rather to express
the simple beauty coming from the materials themselves.
Tray with pieces from 'The Stone Series' of 1964.
Tray with pieces from 'The Stone Series' of 1964. Bottom left: 'Marianne's
Heart', pendant by Marianne Berg.
Six designers working for D-A and for Uni D-A's workshop were appointed
for the job. They were Harry Sørby, Bjørn Sigurd Østern,
Uni David-Andersen, Marianne Berg, Unn Tangerud and Ben (Benedicte) David-Andersen.
Harry Sørby had been working with the company since the 1920s.
He had made jewelry in different styles over the years. With 'The Troll
Series' his designs once more took a new turn. Bjørn Sigurd Østern
was engaged as a designer in 1961. Since the start he had contributed
to a new and modern David-Andersen look, and was already known as an exciting
designer. Uni David-Andersen had grown up in the company but had started
her own workshop in 1959, working close to the family company, and also
designing pieces for production at David-Andersen. Marianne Berg, Unn
Tangerud, and Ben David-Andersen were the first of several women that
came to work together with Uni in her workshop.
Brooch by Unn Tangerud, 1964.
It's not clear who took initiative to 'The Troll Series'. Both Bjørn
Sigurd Østern and Uni David-Andersen have made jewelry designs
similar to 'The Troll Series', allthough not part of the series.
Brooch by Harry Sørby, 1964.
Some of the pieces in the series, such as the pendant 'Marianne's Heart'
and the brooch 'Unn's Sun Chariot', got their names from the designer.
The name of the series also points out the Norwegian profile, using stones
from Norway and designs inspired by ancient Norse culture.
Pendant by Bjørn Sigurd Østern, 1964.
Norwegian Trolls are large, ugly creatures living far away from everything
and everyone in forests, under rocks and in caves in the mountains. They
are sometimes friendly, often unfriendly, and always difficult to co-exist
with. Trolls are also closely conected with magic and treasures of gold,
and jewelry with precious stones.
Norway nature is dramatic, with a richness of minerals of many kinds.
This gives the connection to the use of stones in the Troll Series. Amazonite
and Thulite were the most used ones, but some of the pieces were also
made with dark grey Labradorite.
Later the Amazonites were left out, and the pieces by Ben David-Andersen
and Unn Tangerud were relaunched in an extended stone series with Thulite
and Mylonite, wich is a composite stone with stripes in white, yellow,
brown and black. This series also had quite a few new designs.
One of the brooches, 'Spider's Web' was put in production for the first
time in 1962 (before 'The Troll Series' was launched), that time with
Amazonite or Turquoise. Another brooch named 'Sun Beam' has also been
made with Turquoise, set in gold instead of sterling silver.
Tray with pieces from 'The Silver Series' of 1966.
The Silver Series
A few years after the launch of the stone series, a second series, 'The
Silver Series' was released. The idea of this collection of 1966 was a
radical new-shaping of the traditional Norwegian enamel jewelry.
Enamel jewelry traditionally had enamel all over the surface, making
the silver work almost like a canvas of a painting. In these new designs
the enamel was made to co-operate with the forms of the shiny metall in
a more obvious way, giving the silver a prominent place in the designs.
Tray with pieces from 'The Silver Series' of 1966.
The series consisted of 15 pieces of jewelry designed by three designers.
Bjørn Sigurd Østern supervised the work and made most of
the pieces. The other designers were Uni David-Andersen and Mariannne
Berg.
The jewelry was made in different colors of enamel, using patterns in
the silver under the enamel to add to the design. Some of the pieces by
Marianne Berg were made in sterling silver without enamel, using patinated/oxidized
surfaces to give variation in the louster.
Pendant by Bjørn Sigurd Østern, 1966.
The individual character of the deisgners got a more distinct expression
in this series, than what was the case in the stone series. Where as the
enamel work of Marianne Berg shows a studio approach and has a hand made
look with different shades of a color merging in the same field, Bjørn
Sigurd Østern favours the clean Scandinavian style with a use of
enamel that bears influences from the very distinct Georg Jensen enamel
jewelry designed by the dane Henning Koppel in the 1950s.
The pieces of 'The Silver Series' have clean modernistic and geometric
shapes, at the same time recalling old symbols from the Norse Sagas, such
as the hammer of Thor, the god of war and thunder, and the romantic ideas
of old treasures connected to folklore and the Trolls.
Pendant by Bjørn Sigurd Østern, 1966.
Both 'The Stone Series' and 'The Silver Series' had a great impact on
Norwegian jewelry in general. Amazonites and Thulites were to be found
on many Norwegian pendants and brooches in the years to come. Also the
combination of strong geometric shapes of shiny silver with feelds of
brigthly colored enamel, influenced designeres of other companies and
came to be a lasting characteristic of Norwegian jewelry.
Photo from the Norwegian magazine Gullsmedkunst (Art of Silversmithry),
1964, ring 'Uni's Promise' by Uni David-Andersen.
|
'Bjørn's Ship of Good Fortune',
pendant by Bjørn Sigurd Østern,
silver with Amazonite, 1964.
Brooch by Harry Sørby,
silver with Thulite, 1964.
'Spiders Web',
brooch by Ben David-Andersen,
silver with Amazonite, 1964.
'Sørby's Arch',
brooch by Harry Sørby,
silver with Thulite, 1964.
Brooch by Bjørn Sigurd Østern,
silver with Amazonite, 1964.
'Troll Flower',
earrings by Unn Tangerud,
silver with Amazonite, 1964.
'Snow Crystal',
brooch/pendant by Unn Tangerud,
silver with Thulite, 1964.
Brooch by Bjørn Sigurd Østern,
silver with Amazonite, 1964.
'Unn's Sun Chariot',
brooch/pendant by Unn Tangerud,
silver with Mylonite, 1964.
Pendant by Bjørn Sigurd Østern,
silver with enamel, 1966.
Silver earrings,
Marianne Berg, 1966.
'Silverklang' (Sound of Silver),
brooch by Uni David-Andersen,
silver with enamel, 1966.
Silver pendant,
Marianne Berg, 1966.
Pendant by Bjørn Sigurd Østern,
silver with enamel, 1966.
'Silver Palette',
pendant by Bjørn Sigurd Østern,
silver with enamel, 1966.
'Silver Bird',
brooch by Bjørn Sigurd Østern,
silver with enamel, 1966.
Silver brooch,
Marianne Berg, 1966.
'Silver Harp',
pendant by Bjørn Sigurd Østern,
silver with enamel, 1966.
Ring by Uni David-Andersen,
silver with enamel, 1966.
Silver brooch,
Marianne Berg, 1966.
Pendant by Bjørn Sigurd Østern,
silver with enamel, 1966.
Ad from 1966 depicting three pendants by Bjørn Sigurd Østern.
|
