Kutchinsky (British, est. 1893), Pendant, 1972, gold, petrified wood

Audio Description

Designed and manufactured by British jewelry house Kutchinsky, this pendant was made in 1972. Kutchinsky was established in 1893.

This pendant is shown on a gold hoop. The pendant is a perfectly round cut of petrified wood set in yellow gold. The wood is overlaid in part by textured, linear shapes in the upper right hand section of the circle and the lower left hand section. The shapes are made so that the wood shows through voids in the gold.

Label Copy

Designed and manufactured by British jewelry house Kutchinsky, this pendant was made in 1972. Kutchinsky was established in 1893.

Founded in the late nineteenth century, and like many of its peers, Kutchinsky is known for its high-end collections. However, they too followed trends as times changed, aiming to maintain a timeless, yet artistic quality in their jewelry. In the 1960s and ‘70s, they produced updated examples to attract a well-heeled but hipper, jet-setting clientele—the ‘BP’ or ‘beautiful people.’

Because they were a large firm with more capital than small individual jewelers, Kutchinsky was able to explore and perfect new methods for drilling, carving, and mounting hard stones. They were known for their experimental techniques. In this large pendant, they have used a disk of petrified wood as the ground for a textured overlay worked in polished gold. In an era when jewelry was becoming gender-neutral, this piece could have been worn by either a man or a woman on a chain or necklace hoop.

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