Brutalist Jewelry 1965 - 1980: A Focus on Rings

Origins and Philosophy

Brutalist jewelry emerged in the mid-1960s as a direct, wearable extension of the architectural Brutalism of Le Corbusier, Paul Rudolph, and the Smithsons. Jewelers rejected polished perfection and instead celebrated raw, unfinished surfaces, weight, and honest materiality. The movement coincided with counter-culture disillusionment, the space race, and a fascination with industrial processes. Gold and silver were hammered, torch-melted, chiseled, and left deliberately “ugly” to evoke concrete, meteorites, or ancient artifacts. Beauty was found in power and truth rather than refinement.

Core Aesthetic Principles

• Texture over polish: Bark-like hammering, deep chisel marks, fused nuggets, oxidised crevices
• Volume and weight: Heavier ring of gold, designed to be felt on the hand
• Architectural form: Chunky geometric blocks, cantilevered settings, negative space, fortress-like shanks
• Limited or no gemstones: When stones appear (Citrine, Topaz, Tourmaline, Amethyst), they are usually large, bold cuts set high in crude prongs to let light flood underneath
• Mono-metal focus: Almost always 14k or 18k yellow gold (warmth against rough texture); occasionally sterling silver or bronze

The Ring as Brutalist Manifesto

Because rings sit closest to the body and are seen in constant motion, they became the movement’s most radical canvas. Typical Brutalist ring forms include:

• Wide “citadel” bands – massive gold slabs with cratered surfaces (Andrew Grima, Arthur King)
• Hammered shank with raised stone platform – the stone appears to float above a brutal, pitted landscape (classic 1970s unsigned examples)
• Vertical ridge or “brutalist bark” rings – deep, irregular channels running around the entire finger (the exact style of the topaz ring in your photo)
• Abstract sculptural signets – asymmetrical chunks that look like meteorites or eroded ruins (Henry Dunay, Björn Weckström for Lapponia)

Key Figures and Signature Rings

• Andrew Grima (UK): The undisputed king of Brutalist jewelry. His 1969–1975 rings for CJCI and his own atelier feature heavily textured gold with rough crystal slices or cabochon stones rising from hammered bases.
• Arthur King (USA): New York’s Brutalist master; known for towering, cantilevered cocktail rings that weigh 40+ grams.
• Henry Dunay (USA): Early hammered and faceted gold series before he moved to smoother work.
• Björn Weckström for Lapponia (Finland): Space-age acrylic-and-gold pieces that shared the same raw ethos.
• European studio jewelers (Friedrich Becker, Mario Masenza, Barbara Heinrich precursors) and countless high-end unsigned workshops in New York, London, and Milan.