I recently had the opportunity to explore the lost art of enamel silver jewelry and learn about the artisans of Scandinavian descent who were its masters. It all started when my friend called me, eager to show me a collection that was about to be thrown away. Her friend Astrid had recently passed away, leaving behind an estate in probate and five storage units filled with vintage treasures she had collected over the years.

Astrid was an avid collector of guilloche enamel pieces from her favorite enamelists, including Aksel Holmsen, Marius Hammer, Ivar Holth, and Marianne Berger. My friend rescued a pile of Astrid's belongings from the dumpster, including a plastic drawer set full of silver jewelry that wasn't particularly shiny. The family didn't have the time or energy to deal with Astrid's vast collection of vintage clothing and seamstress supplies, so they were happy to let my friend take the jewelry off their hands.

At the time, I had just been laid off from my job of nine years and was in the process of launching my dream vintage shop. I was excited to add these pieces to my inventory, even though I knew nothing about Scandinavian silver or mid-century jewelry. I made an arrangement to take a closer look at the jewelry and started doing some research to figure out what I had on my hands.

As I began examining the pieces, I realized that enamelists were true artists who created miniature works of art with incredible attention to detail and quality. Even the slightest mistake in the enameling process could render a piece unsalvageable. I almost threw out a piece by Marius Hammer because the enamel had chipped off, but then I learned that Marius Hammer was a legendary figure in the world of enamel silver jewelry.

Marius Hammer was born in 1847 and followed in his father's footsteps to become a goldsmith. After studying in Berlin and Hamburg, he opened a shop in Bergen in 1871, where he created tableware, cutlery, and eventually, jewelry. By 1880, he had begun to modernize Norwegian jewelry designs and to work with plique-à-jour enamel, a technique that resembles miniature stained glass and can take up to four months to complete a single piece. Enamelists have a high failure rate due to the complexity of the process and the importance of each step.

Although Marius Hammer retired in 1915, his firm continued to be active under the leadership of his two sons, Torolf and Max. The piece of jewelry that almost ended up in the trash was an original Marius Hammer, and while it wasn't a plique-à-jour enamel work, it was a beautiful example of his craftsmanship and a testament to the enduring legacy of Scandinavian silver jewelry.

Sources:

• The British Museum. "Marius Hammer." https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG228249

• Wikipedia. "Plique-à-jour." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plique-à-jour