Experimental design. Growing market for '60s and '70s jewellery

18th June 2026

The Swinging Sixties saw a deliberate sweeping away of post-war privation and conservatism by a younger generation demanding profound cultural change. New, Brutalist architecture took the place of run-down, inner-city tenements. Technological advancement saw colour televisions enter homes. The ‘Space Race’ was on.

During this period, jewellery design underwent its own momentous revolution. Experimental, bold and unconventional designs emerged against a backdrop of ‘Pop Art’ vibrancy and dizzying ‘Op Art’ (Optical Art) movements of the time. Jewellery became widely accessible through the novel use of materials including Perspex, acrylic and plastic. Large earrings to suit newly short hairstyles, stacks of bangles and statement cocktail rings became essential components of modern dress.

During this era of experimentation, design trends in jewellery emerged, including a preference for textured, yellow gold, bold colour combinations of stones, asymmetry and geometric forms.

The Fine Jewellery sale on Thursday 9^th July 2026 includes dozens of exciting, signed examples from this period by leading makers of the time. Pieces by Kutchinsky, Andrew Grima, Walter Schluep and Wendy Ramshaw appear alongside works by Nevin Holmes, Ernest Blyth and Frances Beck and David Thomas.

Female makers

• Nevin Holmes was one of the pioneering figures of modern British jewellery. She 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.

Examples in the sale of Nevin Holmes’ work include Lot 292, a gem-set abstract brooch and Lot 303, a pair of abstract ruby earrings within a textured silver surround, (sold for £1,778 and £1,270* respectively)

• Wendy Ramshaw CBE, RDI (1939–2018) was celebrated for redefining the ring as both intimate adornment and sculptural form. Her work is represented in over 70 public collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Lots 328 and 329 , each are sets of gem-set rings on a brass stack, the latter dating from 1974, which sold for £6,985* and £4,826* respectively (including fees). A silver collar necklace and pair of earrings by Ramshaw also appear as Lots 304 & 309.

*All pre-sale estimates are listed here before auction fees.