Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu

An 18ct gold and synthetic blue sapphire ring, by Harald Nielsen, for Georg Jensen, mid 20th century, the oval cabochon sythetic blue sapphire collet set within a polished border, to a tapered band shank, bearing post 1945 Georg Jensen company mark and ‘GJLd’ maker’s mark, stamped ‘18k’ and ‘750’, numbered ‘1046B’ and bearing UK import marks for 1970, sapphire measures 13mm x 9mm, ring size P, in signed case. £500-700

Harald Nielsen (1892-1977) was the young brother-in-law and apprentice of Georg Jensen. He worked his way up to become a designer, and then between 1958 and 1962, artistic director. His designs, very different from those of Jensen himself, have a pared down focus on form, without unnecessary ornamentation. He himself said “The ornament must never dominate. It is subservient to the harmony of the whole and does not exist for its own sake. It can stress the quietness and [simplicity] of outline, but must never distract from it.” These rings exemplify this philosophy in their simple, but elegant, design.

See Georg Jensen Jewelry, David A. Taylor, Ed., Yale University Press, 2005. For a ring of the same design, set with chalcedony, dated to circa 1937, see entry 269, p266.