Φ NEVIN HOLMES, A GEM-SET ABSTRACT GOLD BROOCH

Φ NEVIN HOLMES, A GEM-SET ABSTRACT GOLD BROOCH, set with rough topaz and an emerald within gold collets and textured rectangular setting, with metal pin, signed Nevin to reverse, length 7.2cm

Nevin Holmes was one of the pioneering figures of modern British jewellery. Born in Budapest, she was the daughter of the Turkish ambassador, niece of the celebrated Turkish poet Namik Kemal, and niece of the Paris-based painter Abidin Dino, a close associate of Picasso. Holmes studied painting and etching at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London between 1958 and 1962, and was renowned for her innovative use of rough, unpolished stones. She played a significant role in the post-war revival of jewellery as a serious creative art form and earned recognition as one of Britain’s most original and influential jewellers of the twentieth century.

Beginning in 1960, Holmes produced a body of highly distinctive work that was exhibited internationally across London, the United States, France, Belgium and Turkey. Her jewellery was shown at prestigious institutions and galleries including the Greer Gallery, New York (1962), the Egg and Eye Gallery, Los Angeles (1970–71), Goldsmiths’ Hall, London, and the Topkapi Museum, Istanbul. Her 1960 solo exhibition at the La Feluca Gallery in Rome received critical acclaim, and in 1961 she was awarded the Silver Cup, first prize at the National City of Marino, Italy.