Jewellery, Silver and Objects of Vertu

A set of nine stacking rings by Wendy Ramshaw, 1980, set with various hardstone cabochons, to include moonstones and agates, in raised collet settings, mounted in 18ct gold, all with maker’s mark and London hallmark, with maker’s perspex stand, ring sizes approximately U, stand height 14.5cm. £1,000-£1,500

Wendy Ramshaw (1939 - 2018), artist and designer, was born in Sunderland. Between 1956 to 1960 she trained at the College of Art and Industrial Design in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, studying illustration and fabric design. Whilst at Reading University for a teaching diploma in 1960 she met David Watkins, a jeweller, artist and musician, who was to become her husband.

In the 1960s she first came to the public’s attention with her brightly coloured paper jewellery, made in kit form, and sold by Mary Quant; her fame continued to increase after the model Twiggy was photographed wearing a pair of Ramshaw’s earrings. Wendy is best known for her stacking jewellery, developed in the mid 1960s - sets of complementary gold rings, some with semi-precious stones, often displayed on sculptural posts - these were to become her signature pieces and won her the Design Council Award for Innovation in 1972.

Throughout her career Wendy continued to push boundaries in jewellery, sculpture and design, working with materials that ranged from precious stones to metals, plastic, porcelain and glass, and mounting numerous high-profile exhibitions. In 2000 she was appointed a Royal Designer for Industry, and in 2003 received a CBE. Her jewellery now appears in 70 public collections worldwide, including the Goldsmiths’ Company and the Victoria and Albert Museum, and continues to inspire countless designers in the UK and around the world.