FATHER TO SON: Arje Griegst forged a unique path as a jeweler and sculptor, since founding his eponymous label in the Sixties, and now a whole new generation has the chance to own — and wear — his work.
Two years after his father’s death, Noam Griegst is setting out to honor his legacy and bring pieces from his archive alive. They’re currently on display — and for sale — outside Copenhagen for the first time at Dover Street Market in London. The store is debuting 10 reissued designs by the late jeweler during the Frieze Art Fair, which runs until Sunday.
Griegst’s commitment to craftsmanship was unrivaled: He made his first piece of cutlery at age 10, received a De Beers Prize at 19 and went on to create a world of his own inside his Copenhagen studio, designing sculpted pieces in gold and precious stones and often receiving commissions from the Danish Royal Family.
“A single ring could take two years to make. He would cast it in wax, again and again, until it was perfected, and in the meantime we were all starving at home and my mum would go completely crazy,” Noam said in an interview. “I’ve been working as a fashion photographer for over 20 years and I’ve never seen anything like [his work]. For my dad, decisions were always very clear — he went about creating this whole closed universe.”
The pieces on display feature a range of rings and earrings in spiral shapes, as well as some designs from the label’s “Cosmos” collection, which features sculpted jewels with colored pearls and stones, inspired by the stars, the cosmos and the meteoroids.
A piece by Griegst.
Courtesy Photo
The idea was to highlight some of the most wearable pieces: “We are not planning on doing new pieces or adjusting designs, everything is made from the original casts,” said Griegst. “We have about 200 to 300 different designs and we’ve just released 32 of them last year. We are very much in line with what was, and we’re moving forward very slowly.”
The company is still working with his father’s goldsmiths and it’s important to respect their pace.
Future plans for Griegst include a second launch with Dover Street Market in New York and to continue telling the story of the brand in a bid to encourage customers to visit its Copenhagen workshop.
“I’m all for technology and what digital can do for you, but for price points like ours, you always want to get people in the workshop. The minute people come and see the pieces, they go for it,” added Griegst. Prices range from 1,200 pounds for a ring and go up from there.
In addition to the partnership with Griegst, Dover Street Market hosted an open house on Thursday bringing together creatives including Simone Rocha. The fashion designer was in store to launch the latest issue of “A Magazine Curated By,” which she worked on with editor in chief Dan Thawley. Charles Jeffrey presented his new fall 2018 ‘Zine alongside an art installation, while limited-edition merchandise, such as Comme des Garçons Basquiat T-shirts and Junya Watanabe Buffalo sneakers, were also available.