Origins & Legacy of Art Jewellery in South Africa

Timed Online Auction, 6 - 22 October 2025

Origins
About the Session

Origins, explores the emergence of South African fine metal artistry through pioneering immigrant goldsmiths and jewellers such as Erich Frey, Peter Cullman, Margaret Richardson, Elsa Wongchowsky, Tessa Fleischer and Birger Haglund.  Many were drawn to South Africa after the Second World War, seeking opportunities to establish workshops. Their training in European institutions, such as Pforzheim, equipped them with modernist principles and technical expertise.  Their works embodied modernist aesthetics while adapting to local contexts. They experimented with form, texture, and materiality, linking jewellery to broader artistic movements. 


Current Bid

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Lot 1
  • Erich Frey opal ring
  • Erich Frey opal ring


Lot Estimate
ZAR 18 000 - 22 000
Current Bid
Starting at ZAR 18 000
Location
Cape Town
Delivery
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About this Item

Germany - South Africa 1917-2004
Erich Frey opal ring
tube-set oval cabochon-cut opal, with linear openwork design, on a broad flat band, 18k yellow gold, stamped with maker's mark, size M, total weight 12.7 grams

View all Erich Frey lots for sale in this auction


Lot 1

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