SIGURD PERSSON (1914- 2003)

Sigurd Persson was one of the Nordic region’s most prominent and internationally influential designers and certainly Sweden’s leading and most prolific post-war design guru. Born in Sweden, in 1914, into a family of jewelers in Hälsingborg, Persson trained as a silversmith in his father’s workshop, from 1928 to 1937. He studied at the Akademie für Angewandte Kunst (Academy of Applied Arts), in Munich, from 1937 to 1939, and at the Konstfackskolan (University College of Arts, Crafts, and Design) in Stockholm from 1939 to 1942.

In 1942, Persson established his own silver workshop in Stockholm to design jewelry and cutlery and went on to design across the spectrum of products. He sought to design items that were an expression of the times. Still, his jewelry, in particular, has come to be seen as particularly expressive of his individuality. He experimented with unusual forms, Informed by the early influence of Swedish functionalism as well as biological forms in nature in his rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Persson designed almost everything. He created forms for diverse purposes, from jewelry to coffee pots to ecclesiastical silver, plywood chairs to coins, uniforms and much more.

Persson was honored worldwide in his lifetime. In 1955, he was honored by the Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst e.V, and in 1965, he was appointed an honorary member of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in London.

Visit our exhibition page for "MEDITATIONS ON MODERNISM: Thirty Years of Jewelry Design by Jacqueline Rabun, 1990–2022 and Selections from Notable Post-WWII Nordic Jewelry" to learn more about the innovative and exquisite Nordic jewelry in our collection.