A Short History of Jewellery Designer Henry George Murphy
Henry George Murphy was born in Birchington-on-Sea in Kent in 1884 and even as a small boy he showed an interest in jewellery. In 1899 the jewellery designer Henry Wilson offered him an apprenticeship and Murphy worked for Wilson until 1912, when he set up his own workshop. He initally worked in silver but soon moved on to gold and expensive gems. In 1922 he designed a gold, topaz and sapphire tiara for Mary, Princes Royal for her engagement, and in 1924 he designed a miniature version of the crown jewels for Queen Mary’s dolls’ house at Windsor Castle.
Murphy designed mainly pendants, brooches, rings and buckles in styles from Arts and Crafts to Art Deco. The pieces were exquisite and stood out from the cheap, repetitive jewellery of the day, which consisted mainly of cheap diamond chipped rings and brooches.
In 1928 Henry George Murphy founded the Falcon studio and took up making silverware such as church plate, trophies and domestic items covering a range from tankards to egg cups. His circular modernist coffee set won a gold medal at the Milan International Exhibition in 1933. Murphy’s first passion though was jewellery and he produced some stunning earrings and necklaces in the Art Deco style. He also produced a sizeable range of inexpensive silver brooches, his zodiac and animal designs being particularly popular. Continue reading »
Filed under Jewellery and Watches | Tags: Art Deco, art deco style, Arts and Crafts, Central School of Art, falcon studio, Henry George Murphy, HGM, miniature crown jewels, Queen Mary, Queen Mary's Dolls House, zodiac pendants | Comment (0)Collecting Antique Lockets
Lockets evolved from ancient amulets and really became popular in the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I wore a locket ring, containing her own portait and that of her mother, Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth was in the habit of giving jewel encrusted lockets to the likes of Francis Drake and others of her favourites. Mary Queen of Scots is supposed to have presented her servant with her locket on the eve of her execution – it is known as the Penicuik locket and is now in the Scottish National Museum. The images in antique lockets were hand painted by the leading artists of the day and could only have been afforded by the wealthy.
While we often imagine the antique locket as a token between lovers, the 17th century brought another dimension. It was not uncommon for people to wear a concealed locket containing the image of Charles I, to signal opposition to Cromwell. In the following century the Jacobite supporters would wear hidden lockets of the young Pretender. Continue reading »
Filed under Jewellery and Watches | Tags: antique lockets, Cartier, collecting antique lockets, faberge, lady hamilton, lockets, mary queen of scots, nelson, prince albert, queen elizabeth, Queen Victoria, regard locket | Comment (0)