Stepping into the workshops of one of the most famous
jewellery brands in the world should be intimidating, but
actually it feels the opposite. Georg Jensen’s
worldwide headquarters are tucked onto a quiet
street in Frederiksberg on the fringe of inner-city
Copenhagen, and I enter not really knowing what
to expect. But as with many things in Denmark,
it’s utterly charming.
Here to explore the new take on the Fusion
collection, my visit to the brand’s base turns out
to be much more than just a look at the latest
editions to the famous range. In fact, my day in
Copenhagen with the storied brand, which is the
official jewellery supplier to the Danish royal
family, is one of serious learning and history—
both in Danish culture and Georg Jensen’s
impressive history.
“We never make anything that doesn’t at least
touch some reference to something in our house,”
chief creative officer Nicholas Manville tells me
over coffee in his lofty office, located just above
the silversmith workshops in the warehouse-style building.
“Especially when we’re working with outside designers...
we don’t want their next collection. They have to come
and do the work. They have to be inspired and I don’t think
that’s a problem.”
And that inspiration comes from the archives. A
meticulously catalogued loft space that dates back more
than 100 years, it is filled with some of the brand’s most
awe-inspiring pieces, and provides endless inspiration for
Jensen’s collaborating designers—who have in the past
included Patricia Urquiola, Kelly Wearstler, Zaha Hadid
and Sophie Bille Brahe, to name a few.
For Fusion’s fresh update, it was all about exploring that
original famous ring designed by Nina Koppel. ConsistingCLOCKWISE FROM TOP: A model wears the
new Fusion collection; inside the Georg Jensen
workshop; bangles (from left) white-gold and
diamond, $18,975, yellow-gold, $9,500, white-gold
and diamond, $15,975, yellow-, white-, rose-gold
and diamond, $13,750, white-gold and diamond,
$24,500; designer Nina Koppel, who created the
original Fusion ring; a silversmith’s table; white-gold
and diamond necklace, $3,100 (far left), and yellow-,
white-, pink-gold and diamond necklace, $2,100;
georgjensen.com; the brand’s Copenhagen HQWa ve s o f
CHANGE
CELEBRATING ALMOST TWO DECADES
OF ITS MOST FAMOUS DESIGN,
GEORG JENSEN HAS REIMAGINED
ITS SIGNATURE COLLECTION,
THIS TIME WITH SERIOUS PUNCH