Georg Jensen bluebell garland brooch by Sigvard Bernadotte, Denmark

This pretty garland of bluebells brooch was designed by Sigvard Bernadotte for Georg Jensen. The brooch bears the Georg Jensen company logo for post-1944, although this is an earlier design. It is also marked Sterling Denmark, the model number 301, and, in script, the designer's name 'Sigvard'. The diameter is 5.8 cm. It is in excellent vintage condition.

Georg Jensen are world renowned Danish makers of the finest quality jewellery and other items. They were named after their founder (1866-1935) and were established in Denmark in 1904. They were leading designers in the Art Nouveau period in the early Twentieth Century and later adapted their style to the fashions of the day. After World War 2 they adopted a more modernist style and worked with a number of leading designers many of whom went on to great acclaim as pioneers of the modern Scandinavian style.

Sigvard Bernadotte (1907-2002) was a son of King Gustav VI of Sweden. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm and was inspired by applied art for everyday items. From 1930 he designed for the Georg Jensen Silversmithy — mainly holloware but also one flatware pattern and a few pieces of jewellery. He  used geometric and understated shapes, contrasting with the more ornate pieces produced at Georg Jensen at that time.

In 1950 Bernadotte went on to establish a design consultancy, Bernadotte & Bjørn Industridesign, and in 1964 he created a new, and very successful, company called Bernadotte Design. In 1997 Sweden's National Museum held a retrospective exhibition of his work for the Georg Jensen Silversmithy.