Björn Weckström (Finnish, b. 1935), Flowering Wall Necklace with Pendant, 1969, gold, pearls

Audio Description

This necklace with pendant was designed and made in 1969 by Finnish jeweler and sculptor Björn Weckström, who was born in 1935. The piece is constructed of gold and pearls.

This long necklace has a chain made up of long, flat, textured links of matte yellow gold. The pendant is slightly rectangular and is very textured. Its surface is irregular with high and low places and some voids. Wires of gold with pearls attached at their ends, dangle from the front of the pendant.

Label Copy

This necklace with pendant was designed and made in 1969 by Finnish jeweler and sculptor Björn Weckström, who was born in 1935. The piece is constructed of gold and pearls.

A sculptor first, a jeweler second, Björn Weckström joins his peers in earning the title of artist-jeweler. His recent large-scale sculptures tend toward human forms, while his jewelry is more abstract.

Although his early pieces were primarily made of silver and incorporated Scandinavian aesthetics, in the early 1960s he began to work more frequently with gold. Much of Weckström’s jewelry is textured and organic. He sees gold as more dramatic and earthy than cool silver. From his Flowering Wall series, this necklace is characteristic of Weckström’s textural work and includes moving parts—a common design motif in his jewelry. Here, he combines rugged yellow gold with dangling pearls—a composition he has revisited, using different semi-precious stones in place of the pearls. To make such forms, Weckström carves his prototypes from plaster, allowing him the freedom to create the desired surfaces and shapes.

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