Jewellery, Watches, Silver and Objects of Vertu

An 18ct gold and crystal slice brooch by John Donald, 1967, the mount of granulated radiating square tubes, centrally set with a slice of quartz crystal with a central cabochon ruby, maker’s mark ’JAD’, London hallmark, width 5.7cm. £2,400-£3,000

John Donald (1928 - 2023) studied metalwork at the Royal College of Art in London, where he become firm friends with fellow students Robert Welch and Gerald Benney. He set up as a jeweller and become part of that select group of British designers and jewellers based in London, who revolutionised the field in the swinging 1960s and 1970s. He went on to establish a highly successful business in London and Geneva, and gaining an international reputation, his patrons including H.R.H. the late Princess Margaret. His work is displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and the Schmuckmuseum in Pforzheim.