Andrew Grima (British, b. Italy, 1921–2007), Pendant/Brooch, 1968, gold, sapphires, diamonds

Audio Description

This pendant or brooch was designed by British jeweler Andrew Grima in the 1970s. Grima was born in 1921 in Italy and died in 2007.

This is a brooch which can also be attached to a necklace as a pendant. It is round with an irregular edge and made of textured, matte gold. The surface has small voids in it and the brooch is slightly concave. The tips of the gold around its outer, irregular edge have 41 small, faceted diamonds randomly placed on them. In the center are 14 cabochon sapphires that overlap each other. Interspersed with the sapphires are small, faceted diamonds.

Label Copy

This pendant or brooch was designed by British jeweler Andrew Grima in the 1970s. Grima was born in 1921 in Italy and died in 2007.

Although this pendant or brooch appears rather traditional at first glance, the materials used and the method by which it is made betray Grima’s modernism. The concave base is constructed of what came to be called ‘shredded gold’—a technique Grima frequently used in his designs. Flattened wires were laid side by side, forming random voids and creating a textured surface. A slightly asymmetrical form, the upwardly bent tips are set with forty-one diamonds exemplifying his familiar scattering of small but precious gems across his jewelry. At the center is a jumble of cabochon or rounded sapphires.

Grima was a favorite designer of the British royal family. In 1966, Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, gave the first of many pieces designed by the jeweler to Queen Elizabeth II, solidifying a long relationship. Grima made jewelry for the queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, and daughter, Princess Anne, as well as celebrities around the world.

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