John Victor Rørvig (Danish, 1920–2006), Ring, 1960s, gold, peridot, diamonds

Audio Description

Made in the 1960s, this gold, peridot, and diamond ring was created by John Victor Rørvig, a Danish jeweler, who lived from 1920–2006.

Made of shiny gold, this ring looks like a torn piece of metal. The central focus is an ovoid, faceted green peridot that rises vertically out of the gold. Three small, faceted diamonds are set randomly at the base of the peridot and on the gold.

Label Copy

Made in the 1960s, this gold, peridot, and diamond ring was created by John Victor Rørvig, a Danish jeweler, who lived from 1920–2006.

While little is known about the designer of this ring, he chose a semi-precious peridot as the central focus of this piece. Like many of his fellow jewelers, John Rørvig did not choose a precious gem as the focal point, and he uses small, faceted diamonds only as accents.

Not only does this ring exemplify the use of semi-precious stones in this period, it also illustrates the large scale and ruggedness of 1960s and ‘70s jewelry. In this design, a rough and seemingly torn piece of gold twists upward, flaring like a flower. The central peridot juts out, resembling a bud or perhaps the bloom’s pistil. When worn, this massive ring extends over the knuckle in one direction and beyond the joint of the finger in the other. It is as forceful as the cultural changes taking place at the time.

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