L&T 200

The Moment I Fell In Love With 60s and 70s Jewellery

26 January 2026

Veronica Olszowska

Lyon & Turnbull marks its 200th anniversary in 2026. As part of the celebrations, we’re delving into the minds of the people who make up our exceptionally experienced and dedicated team. In this blog series, we share reflections and highlights from colleagues across Lyon & Turnbull.

In this instalment, Veronica Olszowska reflects on the moment she fell in love with jewellery of the 1960s and 1970s. From her mother’s jewellery collection to finding beauty in brutality and gemstones in their rawest forms, Veronica explores the design history of the period and her personal affinity for this bold and expressive era of jewellery.

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Before I understood the concepts of artistry and value, I loved my mother’s and my grandmother’s jewellery boxes, so full of colour and shiny metal. As a child and even now I can’t walk by the sea without beachcombing for sea-glass or jet. The opportunity to put this passion for gemstones became all-consuming during lockdown in 2020 when I studied for my FGA gemmological qualification – something I had wanted to do for years. Shortly after I qualified, I started work at Lyon & Turnbull, with my head full of geology, geography, form and composition, and the science of gems. It was at Lyon & Turnbull I discovered the history of jewellery, the artist jewellers and the historical, political and economic forces behind their work. One era of design that I knew little about but is now very intriguing to me is that of the 1960s and 1970s.

Gemstones were used in their most natural form, the crystal structures were not cut or polished away, but instead celebrated and used as they are found in nature. Rough stones, shells, wood or geode slices were central to designs with precious stones used as accents in unconventional ways, a new take on jewellery design not seen before.

"As a child and even now I can’t walk by the sea without beachcombing for sea-glass or jet."

- Veronica Olszowska, Jewellery Sale Coordinator

In the Post-war years metal was in short supply and so necessity, as ever the mother of invention, forced jewellery makers and creators to use precious metal wire or tubing in ways not seen before. Yellow gold, the metal of choice due gold prices at the time and its availability, was hammered or granulated and the resulting shapes were abstract or geometric. The 1960s and 1970s challenged the status quo not only with the materials used but that the design became the focus of the piece, not its composite parts.

When these often ground-breaking, brave, bold and beautiful items of jewellery come up for auction it is a wonderful opportunity to delve deeper into the history and accomplishments of the designers and creators and ensure their value and place in history is appreciated and passed on to the new owners.