Origins & Legacy of Art Jewellery in South Africa
Timed Online Auction, 6 - 22 October 2025
Origins
About the SessionOrigins, 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.
Lot Estimate
ZAR 15 000 - 20 000
Current Bid
Starting at ZAR 15 000
Location
Cape Town
Delivery
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Auction Catalogue
About this Item
Germany - South Africa 1917-2004
Erich Frey amethyst and gold ring
tube-set in a tall rectangular setting, an asscher-cut amethyst weighing approximately 14.11 ct, with textured surface and swirl detailing, on a European flat band, 18k yellow gold, stamped with maker's mark, size J, total weight 22.5 grams
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