Wendy Ramshaw

Bio

Wendy Ramshaw CBE, RDI (1939–2018) was a pioneering British jewellery designer known for redefining the boundaries between jewellery, sculpture, and design. She gained recognition in 1970 with her iconic ring sets, wearable works that formed unified sculptural compositions when stacked on their stands.
Her practice was defined by innovation and a deep engagement with materials, ranging from gold and gemstones to paper, porcelain, and glass. Inspired early on by the Op Art movement and developments in technology and psychology, her work explored movement, modularity, and user interaction, inviting wearers to become part of the creative process.

In the 1990s, her Picasso’s Ladies series interpreted the women in Picasso’s life through jewellery, blending narrative and abstraction with poetic elegance. The collection toured internationally, including exhibitions at the V&A and the American Craft Museum.
Ramshaw also undertook significant public art and architectural commissions, such as The New Edinburgh Gate in Hyde Park, and installations, including Room of Dreams, a multi-sensory exploration of jewellery and memory.

Over her career, she held more than 30 solo exhibitions worldwide and collaborated closely with her husband, artist David Watkins. Ramshaw’s work is held in major collections across the globe, and she received numerous accolades, including being named a Royal Designer for Industry (2000) and appointed Commander of the British Empire (2003).

/ From Wendy Ramshaw obituary by The Guardian. Jan 2019

Statement

Wendy Ramshaw is best known for her signature ringsets on sculptural stands, a concept she originated. Her work also encompassed designs for textiles, glass, screens, gateways and sculpture.

She was initially inspired by the romance and beauty of machines, space age technology and the structures and rhythms of nature. Her work was about complication and how far you can push an idea. She constantly researched and experimented, finding new materials and extending her sculptural vocabulary. Her large scale projects complement architecture and interiors, as her jewellery dresses the human body.

/ Text from ramshaw-watkins.co.uk