Andrew Grima

Andrew Grima (31 May 1921 – 26 December 2007) was a British Royal jewelry, designer and artisan. He became the foremost modern jewelry designer in the West End of London in the 1960s and 1970s, selling designs from his exclusive gallery in Knightsbridge.

The name Grima gained recognition in fine jewelry following the 1961 Exhibition of International Jewelry. His distinctive jewelry designs, made from precious metals such as 18 carat gold and platinum worked into highly textured, organic and bold, seemingly random abstract shapes incorporating precious gemstones and were often copied in the late 1960s and 1970s. Pieces by Grima are often marked AG or Grima and are highly sought after by collectors. [ cite book
last = Giles
first = Stephen
title = Miller's jewelry Antiques Checklist
publisher = Octopus Publishing Group Ltd.
isbn = 1-857328167
pages = pp.46 ]

Grima was appointed as a Crown Jeweler in 1970 commissioned to make various items of jewelry for the British and Scandinavian Royal Family.

cite web
title = Andrew Grima - Royal Jeweler
publisher = grimajewelry.com
url = http://www.grimajewelry.com/
accessdate = 2007-10-08]

Born in Rome in 1921, Grima came to jewelry design in 1946, after nearly five years as an engineer with the 7th Indian Division in Burma. He joined his future father-in-law’s jewelry business in London, where he assumed design responsibilities. A prolific painter, Grima approached each piece as a painting, which was the beginning, and has remained, the start of his design process.

Grima was interested in the organic possibilities if jewellery design and he made an early decision to move away from the forms and materials of classical jewelry prevalent at the time. Grima preferred gold to silver, textured and unconventional stones over classic shapes and cuts. Grima’s work focused on exotic stones, pearls or grained quartzes, whose visual impact outweighed their monetary value. Precious stones, when used, were designed to embed as integral parts of the design, not set as the focus of the piece itself, as they were in classically designed jewelry.

He also experimented with casting objects found in nature, a piece of lichen sent to him by HRH Princess Margaret, was cast in yellow gold, offset with brilliant-cut diamonds and transformed into a brooch. He also cast leaves and other natural objects, which formed the basis of many of his early designs. These materials and methods became his hallmark.

In the 1960’s Grima went on to win twelve De Beers Diamond International Awards. He opened his Jermyn Street shop in 1966 and received the Queen’s Royal Warrant in the same year. Grima held the Royal Warrant for twenty years until he moved to Switzerland in 1986. Throughout this period, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, The Duke of Edinburgh, Barbara Hepworth and Jacqueline Onassis commissioned Grima.

In 1969, Grima was commissioned by Omega to create a collection of watches, which developed the idea of seeing time through gemstones. This collection became known as About Time. In the 1970’s Grima opened galleries in New York, Sydney and Tokyo.

In 1974, Grima was approached by a representative from Time Computer, Inc. [based in Lancaster, PA, and producer of the Pulsar LED watch line] . He was commissioned to design a series of one-of-a-kind and top-of-the-line watches. Twelve [11 in 18Kt gold, one in sterling silver] were produced, and ended up in the possession of a jeweller in Israel. They were unknown to collectors until 2004, when they came to light during the inventorying of the owners' estate. One remains in New York, awaiting the final disposition of that estate. They constitute a unique suite of Grima designs.

Andrew Grima died in Gstaad on 26th December 2007

Today, his wife Jojo and daughter Francesca design and sell bespoke pieces from their shop in Gstaad and bi-annual exhibitions in London. Most work is through private commission and furthers the techniques pioneered in the 1960’s such as textured wire, organic forms and casting.

References

External links

* [http://www.grimajewellery.com/ Grima Jewelry]
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3133308.ece Obituary in "The Times", 5 January 2007]
* [http://www.ledwatches.net/photo-pages/grima1.htm 18ct gold LED watch designed by Grima]
* [http://www.ledwatches.net/photo-pages/grima3.htm] Grima watches designed for Time Computer