This week on Hopea, I have an incredible ring by pioneering Danish jewelry designer Poul Havgaard. Havgaard is known for his sculptural designs which were originally executed in iron. The crater-like pieces were created to eventually rust and erode naturally; objects both substantial and ephemeral.
Here are a few of those iron creations from the late 1960s:
From Donald J. Willcox’s “New Design in Jewelry:
These finger sculptures were built with an acetylene torch, burned with cutting oil to induce black areas, and then the contrasting silver-like surfaces were smoothed with emery paper and steel wool. The iron does eventually rust, especially if subjected to salt water, but it requires no more care than ordinary silver to maintain the smooth surface. The designer is now working with several chemical firms to find epoxy resins which can be coated on the iron surface to permanently prevent rust.
(Don’t you love hearing about the behind-the-scene, technical processes of these sorts of labor intensive pieces?)
In 1971, Havgaard became a head designer (along with Bjorn Weckstrom) at Finnish firm Lapponia where he continued to develop his skill. This stunning ring, currently available on Hopea, combines Havgaard’s interest in erosion and sculpture, with the refinement and clean lines found at Lapponia:
HOPEA 