DESIGN | GEOMETRIC GEMS
Alexander Calder's quirky jewellery is set to dazzle again
'To wear Alexander Calder's jewellery was to share in his iconoclasm,' say the gallerist Louisa Guinness of the American artist. Best known for his mobiles, Calder also designed intricate pieces of jewellery that appealed to women with avant-garde tastes. He used simple materials, such as brass wire, silver and glass, and abstained from soldering in favour of loops and snippets of hammered wire, bent metal or rivets. As Guinness explains, his beautifully crafted creations offered 'a fresh departure from rigid satorial norms and patriarchal traditions of the time'. A selection of Calder's designs is on show at Guinness' Mayfair gallery, alongside photographs of the unconventional individuals who sported them. From Georgia O'Keeffe accessorising with a striking geometric brooch to Angelica Huston wearing an oversize necklace, the images capture the playful, energetic spirit common to both the jewellery and the women who wear it.
