An eye for design and an eye for talent

If you think of Georg Jensen as one designer, think again. Jensen may be known for silverware, but he made collaboration his business. As a goldsmith, sculptor, ceramicist and jeweller, he prioritised craftsmanship and timeless design, regardless of the materials, both in his own work and in the work of the designers he collaborated with.

Unlike many applied artists of his day, Georg Jensen (1866-1935) undertook both an apprenticeship (goldsmithing) and formal art school training (sculpture) before turning to work in ceramics. He was drawn to the idea of the true artist craftsman: a maker that understands their materials so completely that they can manipulate them in ways that push design boundaries.

Despite his early forays into other applied arts, Jensen returned to working with metal and opened a small silversmithing workshop in Copenhagen in 1904. Jensen created his individual design aesthetic to break away from what he considered to be the overly ornamental, romantic designs of the late 19th century. His designs were distinctly Danish, but also reflected the naturalistic and sinuous shapes of the burgeoning Art Nouveau style and the functional beauty inherent in the Arts & Crafts movement.

With business quickly growing – he went international with a shop in Berlin only five years later (1909) – Jensen attracted artists and designers from across the applied arts to his workshop. Together, they experimented with hammered finishes and patterns of silver oxidisation to create jewellery, ornamental silverware and cutlery that were beautiful and functional – Jensen’s priorities for design.

Look out for the curved talon-like jewellery of famed modernist designer Nanna Ditzel, Georg Jensen’s first female collaborator, launched in 1956 and still in production today, or the abstract structures with striking negative spaces of Henning Koppel’s wearable art. For fluid, organic forms in silver or gold, seek Jacqueline Rabun’s still-best-selling Mercy and Offspring collections; the London-based American jewellery designer first partnered with the Danish design giant in 1999, and jewels from their early Cave collaboration are still on our wish lists.  

By honouring the talents of individual designers, Georg Jensen’s “teamwork” jewellery speaks to us today as much as it did when each collaborative collection first launched.

If you’re searching for the Georg Jensen jewel of your dreams, reach out to our Concierge team and let our specialists hunt for you.