70s jewellery - Jorma Laine

I've been admiring jewellery from the 70s for a long time, especially the work of Guy Vidal, Robert Larin, Pentti Sarpaneva and Jorma Laine. I especially love the brutalist pieces. Turns out I have a brooch by Jorma Laine! My mom reminded me last weekend. I've actually had it since I was in my teens. I got it as a gift from some much older cousins, but hated it back then. You know, the early 80s and all... If you're around my age, you're probably nodding! But isn't it great how we mature and learn to appreciate things? The brooch is made of bronze, then gold plated and oxidized. It was designed in the mid 70s. I'm normally a silver and steel person, jewellery- wise, but I think this has some nice folkloristic vibes and I'm glad to having rediscovered it. Those may be the same qualities I hated it for in the early eighties...

Jorma Laine (1930-2002) was a finnish jewelry designer, whose work in bronze and silver is easily recognizable. He developed a style of his own throughout the 60's and 70's, his pieces are very modernistic and often abstract. I see a lot of influences in my brooch, there's mythology, ancient times, bronze age, even some viking vibes! I love when a piece of design, even if very abstract, can produce all those images.

Laine attended the renowned art college Turun Piirustuskoulu (Turku Art School). During his career he had his own company, Silver-Laine, but is perhaps best known for the designs he did for Turun Hopea. He also designed silver jewelry for Kultateollisuus. Laine is known for his forward-thinking modernist impulse, a decidedly “Finnish” nostalgia for the past, and individuality. After a successfull career in jewelry design, he retired to his cabin in the forest where he led a hermitlike life until he died of a heart attack in 2002, 72 years old.

Photographing the brooch was so much fun, it's like a sculpture, so here you have it from every angle:-)

 

MMMC challenged me over at Instagram to show it on. Well, I wore it to work today as a "button" on an otherwise button- less black jacket, with jeans and black boots, so this is for you, Carmel!

Pentti Sarpaneva

You might have read my last entry about the 70s glass vase from finnish artist Pentti Sarpaneva (1925- 1978)? This artist really triggered my curiosity, and I did some googleing. I found out that he was also a jewellery maker, I already suspected that, when seeing the intricacy of the brass headband on the vase.  

 

 

 

I came across this AMAZING website called HOPEA that sells nordic jewellery from 1960 to 1975. Among all the gorgeous pieces, there are some by Pentti Sarpaneva. When it comes to jewellery, I usually prefer far simpler pieces, but these are different from anything I've ever seen.

These are HOPEA's words on this wonderful artist:

"The curious designs of Pentti Sarpaneva brim with life. His large, dramatic pieces combine traditional themes of nature and Finnish culture, which have been uniquely interpreted by the artist.

Brother of celebrated design savant Timo Sarpaneva, Pentti was a graphic artist before he began to explore jewelry design in his thirties. Influenced by the tumultuous natural landscape of Finland, he produced explosive designs based on natural elements such as tree bark, volcanic lava and melting icicles; reflective of a wider revival of a relationship to nature in Finnish design.

Sarpaneva produced these evocative “objet trouve” creations under the firms of Turun Hopea and Kalevala Koru. His forms were unlike any other jewelry being produced in his native Finland at the time, and were not particularly well received by the contemporary public.

His use of local stones, many of which had been used and known since ancient times, are often left uncut in their more natural state. His interest in bringing components of traditional Finnish design into a modern setting results in bold, detailed pieces with strong emotional appeal."