MORE LIGHT: FAN BROOCH BY ANDREW GRIMA
Under the trees light
Pablo Neruda, "Ode to Enchanted Light"
has dropped from the top of the sky,
light
like a green
latticework of branches,
shining
on every leaf,
drifting down like clean
white sand.
The elegant gold and diamond Fan Brooch by Andrew Grima is massive and energetic, yet it feels unbelievably light to the touch. Like the golden beams of saints' halo in Byzantine art, this magnificent crown of pure, powerful rays spreads light all around.
Created in 1973, it comes from a period when Andrew Grima was experimenting with textured wire. Soldering together layer upon layer of golden wire, with random gaps and scatterings of diamonds, catching the light, he used this adaptable material as a building block for many of his large yet graceful, sculptural designs.
I think that he was very much taken by what he saw out in life - whether it was nature or architecture - and how it translated into a wearable piece of sculpture.
Susan Abeles, director of U.S. Jewelry at Bonhams, in an interview to Robb Report
Grima's blog Behind The Jewel – an amusing read for any jewelry lover – gives insight into the technique behind these forever classics. In the process, individual wires are carefully placed on plasticine in desired patterns. Then, the whole area is covered with plaster of Paris – a quick-setting plaster made from gypsum found near Paris (hence the name). This consists of fine white powder which hardens when moistened and is then allowed to dry Then, before soldering the wires from the back, the plasticine is removed, and diamonds are set on top of the wires in platinum batons. As a final touch, delicate texture is applied by hand, using a burr.
Finding your own signature technique in jewelry, as in any art, is not an easy task. Andrew Grima found it.
Grima’s dynamic, imaginative creations, transforming static metals and gems into vibrant objects of art, are easily recognizable and highly sought by jewelry and art collectors alike. Meanwhile, his creative path – from mechanical engineer to the most influential jewelry designer of the post-war period, earned Grima the moniker ‘Father of modern jewelry’, amply deserved when you consider his legendary designs.
