A John Donald 18KT gold brooch set with natural coral and pearls, London hallmarked and struck with his JAD maker's mark. Made in the 1970s.
The frame is built from textured gold wires that splay out and cross like a seed head, the surfaces left rough and molten where Donald worked them rather than polished flat. Strands of coral beads run through the openwork, punctuated by pearls, so the piece reads as growth caught mid movement.
John Donald was born in 1929 and trained at the Royal College of Art, and became one of the central figures of the British jewellery renaissance. He worked by fusing and melting gold rods and tubing to build texture, a technique he arrived at in the late 1950s. His work was bought by Princess Margaret and by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and is held in the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Museum of Scotland and the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.
Dimensions -
Dimensions: 6 x 3.5 cm
Weight: 24 grams
Specifications -
Designer: John Donald
Metal: 18KT gold
Hallmark: London, 18, with JAD maker's mark
Period: English, 1970s
Design: Textured openwork with strung coral and pearls
Fitting: Pin and roll over catch
Coral -
Type: Natural coral
Cut: Beads
Colour: Salmon pink
Pearls -
Type: Cultured pearls
Shape: Round
Colour: White with cream overtone
Condition :
In excellent condition, with minor signs of use.
A John Donald 18KT gold brooch set with natural coral and pearls, London hallmarked and struck with his JAD maker's mark. Made in the 1970s.
The frame is built from textured gold wires that splay out and cross like a seed head, the surfaces left rough and molten where Donald worked them rather than polished flat. Strands of coral beads run through the openwork, punctuated by pearls, so the piece reads as growth caught mid movement.
John Donald was born in 1929 and trained at the Royal College of Art, and became one of the central figures of the British jewellery renaissance. He worked by fusing and melting gold rods and tubing to build texture, a technique he arrived at in the late 1950s. His work was bought by Princess Margaret and by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and is held in the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Museum of Scotland and the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.
Dimensions -
Dimensions: 6 x 3.5 cm
Weight: 24 grams
Specifications -
Designer: John Donald
Metal: 18KT gold
Hallmark: London, 18, with JAD maker's mark
Period: English, 1970s
Design: Textured openwork with strung coral and pearls
Fitting: Pin and roll over catch
Coral -
Type: Natural coral
Cut: Beads
Colour: Salmon pink
Pearls -
Type: Cultured pearls
Shape: Round
Colour: White with cream overtone
Condition :
In excellent condition, with minor signs of use.
