Andrew Grima

Acquired directly from the artist's store in London by the present owner

Cynthia Amnéus, ed., Simply Brilliant: Artist-Jewelers of the 1960s and 1970s, Cincinnati Art Museum, Ohio, 2020, p. 161

William Grant, Andrew Grima: The Father of Modern Jewellery, ACC Art Books, New York, 2020, p. 296

While jeweler Andrew Grima was famous for his asymmetrical designs often cast from nature, he created many highly modern pieces that showcased a single large gem. This piece, with its fine incised gold reaching up to house a mixed-cut tanzanite, is both sleek and impressive — and yet with its diamond accents manages to circulate the viewer’s attention rather than staying put. It is similar to an amethyst ring dated 1978 also by Grima (See Cynthia Amnéus, ed., Simply Brilliant: Artist-Jewelers of the 1960s and 1970s, Cincinnati Art Museum, 2020, p. 161) and yet subverts that design with a careful precision of symmetry on its body that stands in stark difference to the works he created using uneven gold wires. The asymmetrical diamond accent can be seen on his other rings, including a line-engraved gold example set with green tourmaline dating to 1970 and designed by Grima for artist Barbara Hepworth (See William Grant, Andrew Grima: The Father of Modern Jewellery, ACC Art Books, New York, 2020, p. 296). There is a seriousness to it as well as the new flavor of modernity for which he was renowned.