Feather brooch in carved smoky quartz with diamonds, 2005; Brooch with lapis lazuli, turquoise and diamonds set in 18K yellow gold textured wire, 1967.

On 25 December 2007, during her Christmas Day speech, Queen Elizabeth II wore a carved ruby brooch which Prince Philip bought her in 1966. The creator of this brooch was Andrew Grima. Less than 24 hours after the Queen’s speech, Andrew Grima died of pneumonia in Gstaad, Switzerland. He was possibly the most prominent jeweller of his era who revolutionised modern jewellery and changed the tastes of the buying public accustomed to trinkets worn by their parents. Some of his pieces continue to be so au courant they could have been made last month, not four decades earlier.

Australian opal ring with diamonds, 1991 Andrew Grima’s embroidery designer father was from Malta but his mother was Roman. Born in Rome in 1921, he arived in London in 1926 with his family and was a major player during the height of Beatlemania, Twiggy and Rolling Stones. As a jeweller in London, he captured public imagination by going against the grain. At a time when jewellery designs were stuck in Jurassic park with pretty bows, swans, bees and poodles, he went for organic and rough-hewn shapes. KEE HUA CHEE Lire la suite http://solitaire.com.sg/magazine/story2.html