Feted as an idealist, a pioneering designer, and as a craftsman, John Donald was part of a select group who revolutionised jewellery design in the early 1960s. Part of a select group who revolutionised jewellery design in the early 1960s, he went on to establish a successful business and an international reputation. His work captures the late twentieth century ideals of glamour and modernity.
Born in 1928 John Donald attended art college as a compromise between sport and university. He studied graphic design at Farnham, and in 1952 he was offered the chance to enrol in the Metalwork Department of the Royal College of Art. This change of direction was essentially a pragmatic one, as he was keen to experience London. But he soon discovered an affinity for working with metal that would shape the rest of his life.
At college John Donald shared digs in Chelsea with fellow metalwork students Robert Welch and Gerald Benney. All three friends would later become famous for their silver and jewellery designs. However it was several years before he could establish himself as a jeweller. He entered five pieces in the seminal International Exhibition of Modern Jewellery 1890-1961, held at Goldsmiths’ Hall, and by 1964 he could number Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother among his patrons.
‘Nugget flakes’, ‘wavy rods’, and ‘drum or crown mounts’, are signature techniques synonymous to the 20th century jewellery game-changer. As a struggling designer, he worked with more affordable gold rods, experimenting with melting gold in water. His different techniques for making contemporary gold jewellery, was both geometric in motif, and organic, fluid-like in texture. His jewellery pieces are known to be three-dimensional, decorative designs of yellow gold, openwork patterns, and occasionally set with gemstones.
John Donald’s designs perfectly caught the mood of freedom and excitement which swept Britain during the 1960s. Using simple materials such as gold rod and uncut crystal, he created expressive, abstract pieces free from the conventions of shape and style which had constrained earlier jewels. He was one of a small group of craftsmen whose radical entries to the International Exhibition ushered in a new era of modern jewellery.
Donald's techniques and gemstone choices, nuanced his fascination with light, and its play on different textures of gold. His experimentation was joined by a string of fellow jewellery contemporaries, such as Andrew Grima. After WWII, these artists shook up tradition and brought creativity back to the forefront of their field. As Donald states, in the 1960s there was a "hunger for new designs". As a result, his contrasting and dramatic pieces were favoured by critics and fashionable women alike, including H.R.H. Princess Margaret.
Constantly travelling overseas throughout his career deemed successful for building up his international profile as well. Especially in the Middle East, John was one of the first jewellery designers to become inspired by the mecca of colours and light, prompting him to work with bolder colours. In turn, his international business soared even further throughout the 1970s.
John Donald's designs and craftsmanship can be seen in the collections of the V&A Museum, the Schmuckmuseum in Pforzheim, the National Museum of Scotland, and the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. His jewellery pieces are owned by various Royal Families, heads of industry, and other design collectors.
