Wendy Ramshaw

Born in Sunderland in 1939, Wendy Ramshaw initially studied illustration and fabric design before embarking on a career in jewellery; her early work was created from paper and plastic – the wearer integral in the process, making paper jewellery designs from a flat cut out pattern. After completing a post-graduate qualification in Jewellery from Central School of Art and Design and establishing her studio in London in 1970 she began working predominately in silver and gold, creating a distinctive minimalist style which earned her the Council of Industrial Design Award in 1972.

Wendy Ramshaw’s work also encompassed designs for textiles, screens, gateways and sculpture but it is her signature ringsets which have become synonymous with her work. Developed from the mid 1960s, her early ringsets or ‘pillar rings’ with spire-shaped bezels were inspired by the Space Age and urban developments of the late sixties in Britain. The gemstones and their compositions reflect elements of Constructivism and the Pre-Raphaelites’ taste for semi-precious stones with natural inclusions and flaws. The ringsets are wearable sculptures, often simple geometric shapes or much larger complex works with multiple, individual rings made with both precious and non-precious elements. When unworn, the rings are stacked on a single stand, transformed into a ‘portable’ sculpture. Over the years, work has been inspired by: her family, literature, music, film and the wider world of fine and applied arts.

SOURCE - https://scottish-gallery.co.uk/wendy-ramshaw-cbe-rdi-1939-2018/ (Oct 2025)