Wiwen Nilsson 1957 Sterling Silver Necklace

A superb 1957 sterling silver rod and link necklace by Swedish Master Silversmith, Wiwen Nilsson (1897-1974), one of my favourite designers and creators. Fully stamped and in very good original condition. 

His work is always of excellent quality and much desired throughout the world. This is an iconic necklace and can be found in various lengths. This particular piece is approx 43cm in length and sits really well and comfortably on the neck. I also have a matching bracelet which I will list separately. There is just something about his works that stand apart from most others. They look expensive, they feel expensive and yet all achieved without the need for added decoration, as is his signature style.

Payment by bank transfer, Paypal or invoice sent with card link for you to enter your own details. Layaway of up to 3 months available upon enquiry for all items.

ABOUT: The below is courtesy of the website at wiwennilsson.org and you can read his full history here on their website.

In 1897, shortly after Wiwen Nilsson’s birth in Copenhagen, Denmark, the family crossed the Öresund strait and returned to Lund, Sweden. In Lund, his father Anders Nilsson took over the workshop of Johan Petter Hasselgren, for whom he had earlier been an apprentice. In 1908, Anders Nilsson was appointed Royal Court Jeweler to the Swedish Royal Court. At 14, he began working in his father’s workshop.

Wiwen Nilsson made his professional debut in 1923 at Jubileumsutställningen i Göteborg (The Gothenburg Tercentennial Jubilee Exposition), Sweden, exhibiting designs created for his father’s company. He received criticism. Years later in an interview, Wiwen Nilsson reflected on this early critical reception: “At that time there were no plain silver objects anywhere in the world,” he said. “A bowl, a vase, a casket was not allowed to be what it should be – a bowl, a vase, a casket. Rather, these would take the shape of a woman’s body or a flower’s calyx.”

Following his success in Paris in 1925, Wiwen Nilsson was invited to exhibit in New York at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1926, and from 1926–1928 his works were exhibited at several other important institutions in the USA, including The Minneapolis Institute of Art and The Art Institute of Chicago. During this time his pieces received great acclaim among art critics. With these exhibitions, his international recognition was established, and in the years and decades that followed, his works would be continuously exhibited on the international stage.

In 1927, he assumed ownership of his father’s company, which gave him full creative freedom, and in 1928 he was appointed Royal Court Jeweler to the Swedish Royal Court.

In the years that followed, he continued to exhibit in Sweden and internationally.