Few artists have blurred the line between jewellery and sculpture as elegantly as Wendy Ramshaw. Celebrated internationally for her radical vision, Ramshaw redefined what jewellery could be: not just ornament for the body, but works of art in their own right.
Contemporary Craft
Wendy Ramshaw: Jewellery as Sculpture
21 August 2024
Philip Smith
Breaking Boundaries in Contemporary Jewellery
Ramshaw emerged in the 1960s as part of the wave of British studio jewellers challenging convention. With her training in illustration and textiles at Newcastle University, then known as King’s College, Durham University, and later at the Central School of Art and Design, she brought a distinctive eye for pattern, geometry, and innovation. Her early use of paper jewellery kits was a bold statement in accessibility and creativity, gaining widespread attention at a time when contemporary jewellery was still in its infancy.
Rings as Architectural Forms
Perhaps Ramshaw’s most iconic contribution is her “Ring Sets”, towers of interlocking rings presented on sculptural stands. These works are more than wearable; they are architectural explorations of form, balance, and rhythm. Each ring can be worn individually, yet together they create a sculptural column, bridging the space between jewellery and three-dimensional art.
Collectors and museums worldwide recognised their significance. The Victoria & Albert Museum, London, the Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York all hold examples, affirming her status as a designer of global significance.
Jewellery as Modern Sculpture
Ramshaw’s practice extended well beyond rings. Her neckpieces, brooches, and earrings embraced bold geometry and innovative use of materials, gold, silver, enamel, and precious stones, all reinterpreted with a sculptor’s sensibility. Later in her career, she worked on large-scale public commissions: gates, screens, and installations that echoed the same interplay of geometry and movement seen in her jewellery.
Her work demonstrates that jewellery can transcend adornment. It can inhabit the gallery space, the domestic environment, and the body, each time resonating with a different kind of presence.
Collecting Wendy Ramshaw
For collectors, Ramshaw represents the pinnacle of modern British jewellery design. Her pieces are instantly recognisable, blending sculptural ambition with an intimacy of scale. They appeal not only to jewellery enthusiasts but also to those drawn to modern art, architecture, and design.
At auction, her work continues to attract attention for its originality and rarity. Each piece carries with it a legacy of experimentation and artistry that speaks to Ramshaw’s unique vision.
Described as “a poet in gold and geometry” Wendy Ramshaw remains one of Britain’s most significant artist-jewellers. Her work challenges us to rethink jewellery not just as decoration, but as sculpture, intimate works of art that are at once wearable and monumental.
