Agate, Stibnite and Gold Object d'Art by Andrew Grima


Circa 1989London, EnglandThe "blackbird" composed of a stibnite crystal cluster with an 18K yellow gold "worm" in his mouth, perched above an septarian geode resembling a landscape with quartz-filled "rivers". Signed Grima. Measuring 12 x 9 1/4 x 5 in (30.4 x 23.4 x 12.7cm)
|Cf. Exhibition catalogue, Grima Retrospective, Goldsmiths' Hall, London, 1991, page 98, plate 298 for a sketch of a similar example.Provenance: Purchased from Bonhams, London, The Collection of Laura Speiser, Featuring Jewellery by Andres Grima, Sale 18541, Lot 316.Andrew Grima A jeweler who became known as the primary proponent of modern jewelry design in England, Italian born Grima originally studied mechanical engineering at the University of Nottingham. In the 1960s and 1970s, he became the foremost modern jewelry designer in the West End of London selling his jewels from his exclusive gallery at 80 Jermyn Street, Mayfair. In 1970 he designed the successful "About Time" watch collection for Omega and, in 1976, a collection of gold digital LED watches for PulsarGrima won several awards for his contributions to the jewelry industry. He was the only jeweler to win the Duke of Edinburgh Prize for Elegant Design and he won 13 De Beers Diamonds International Awards. Examples of Grima's work are on display at the Victoria & Albert Museum and in the collection of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. On September 20th 2017, Bonhams auctioned the largest private Grima collection to ever be sold at auction.