Nanna Ditzel was the first female designer to work with Georg Jensen. The Danish silversmith is bringing back some of her most iconic pieces from its archive.
New York—This Women’s History Month, the Georg Jensen brand is honoring a female designer that contributed to its illustrious history.
The Nanna Ditzel capsule collection revives seven sterling silver jewelry designs from the Georg Jensen archive. Ditzel originally created them in 1956, though they retain a remarkably modern sensibility today.
Ditzel was the first female designer to work for the Danish design house and was a prolific creator of furniture, textiles, and jewelry.
Nanna Ditzel, the first female designer to work for Danish house Georg Jensen
Living from 1923 to 2005, Ditzel was most known for her mid-century modern furniture.
Born in Copenhagen, she attended the Danish School of Arts, Crafts and Design, as well as the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, and graduated in 1946.
Trained in cabinetmaking, she began collaborating with her first husband, Jorgen Ditzel, while still in school. The husband-and-wife team focused on multifunctional pieces useful in small city apartments.
Ditzel won a jewelry competition sponsored by A. Michelson.
In 1954, the couple began designing jewelry for Georg Jensen, after originally being commissioned to craft sterling silver pieces for a 50-year company retrospective.
Jorgen died in 1961. Over the years, Nanna continued to design, garnering prestige and awards along the way, most prominently in furniture but with jewelry remaining one of her passions.
The seven-piece archival capsule collection Georg Jensen has reissued revisits some of her most well-known designs for the company. It includes a voluminous sterling silver cuff bracelet, an oversized cocktail ring, bracelet and necklace set, two pairs of earrings and a brooch.
The organic, sculptural shapes are as bold today as they were in 1956, though they possess allusions to certain themes of the era, like space travel.
The Danish jeweler said a few of the pieces will be offered in 18-karat gold.
The sterling silver editions are currently available on GeorgJensen.com and range from $295 for the cocktail ring to $2,200 for the necklace.
The Nanna Ditzel collection will only be available for a limited time in 2021, the company said.
Ashley Davisis the senior editor, fashion at National Jeweler, covering all things related to design, style and trends.
