Modernist Iolite Ring, Atelje Waldemar Jonsson, Skara, Sweden, 1959
Modernist Iolite Ring, Atelje Waldemar Jonsson, Skara, Sweden, 1959
The iolite at the front shifts between deep blue-violet, cool grey-blue and muted grey-yellow depending on the viewing angle.
Three distinct shades appear within the same stone, reflecting the pronounced pleochroism characteristic of iolite. The oval cabochon is set in a gently concave silver mount and flanked by engraved leaf motifs on either side. The restrained hand-cut decoration is placed across a broad, clean silver band. The ring is polished and even around the entire outer surface.
Iolite has a notable place within Scandinavian mineral and maritime history. Medieval Nordic sources and Icelandic sagas refer to the “sólsteinn”, a natural stone associated with locating the sun behind cloud cover. In Sweden, iolite was historically known as vattenädelsten. The visible pleochroic effect of the cabochon, revealed as the stone is rotated, gives the material its distinctive optical and cultural character.
Atelje Waldemar Jonsson operated in Skara, Västergötland, from 1946 and belonged to the generation of Swedish silversmiths who developed a clear Modernist vocabulary during the 1950s: broad band forms, polished surfaces and a single natural material placed at the centre. The marks WrJ, S, the Swedish cat’s-paw control mark with three crowns and the date letter I9 form a complete Swedish hallmark sequence, identifying Skara as the place of origin and confirming the 830 silver standard.
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