Sibyl Dunlop (1889 – 20 December 1968) was a British jewellery designer, best known for the jewellery and silver objects in the late

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

style that she produced in the 1920s and 1930s. Dunlop was born in Hampstead, London to Scottish parents and finished her schooling in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, where she became interested in jewellery design and underwent some basic training. She established a workshop and shop at 69 Kensington Church Street, London W8, and in the early 1920s was joined by W. Nathanson as her principal craftsman. Dunlop's work is characterised by the use of semi-precious and precious gems, such as

chalcedony Chalcedony ( , or ) is a cryptocrystalline form of silica, composed of very fine intergrowths of quartz and moganite. These are both silica minerals, but they differ in that quartz has a trigonal crystal structure, while moganite is monocl ...

chrysoprase Chrysoprase, chrysophrase or chrysoprasus is a gemstone variety of chalcedony (a cryptocrystalline form of silica) that contains small quantities of nickel. Its color is normally apple-green, but varies to deep green. The darker varieties of chry ...

, moonstone,

amethyst Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek αμέθυστος ''amethystos'' from α- ''a-'', "not" and μεθύσκω (Ancient Greek) / μεθώ (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that ...

agate Agate () is a common rock formation, consisting of chalcedony and quartz as its primary components, with a wide variety of colors. Agates are primarily formed within volcanic and metamorphic rocks. The ornamental use of agate was common in ...

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...

and

opal Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica (SiO2·''n''H2O); its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%. Due to its amorphous property, it is classified as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline forms ...

s, often

cabochon A cabochon (; ) is a gemstone that has been shaped and polished, as opposed to faceted. The resulting form is usually a convex (rounded) obverse with a flat reverse. Cabochon was the default method of preparing gemstones before gemstone cut ...

rather than facet-cut gemstones, set in silver in symmetrical patterns, often inspired by nature. One of her most famous designs is the 'Carpet of Gems' symmetrical setting. The gemstones were cut for Dunlop by

lapidaries Lapidary (from the Latin ) is the practice of shaping stone, minerals, or gemstones into decorative items such as cabochons, engraved gems (including cameos), and faceted designs. A person who practices lapidary is known as a lapidarist. A la ...

in Germany. Dunlop's work is often confused with that of another female jewellery designer of the same period,

Dorrie Nossiter Dorrie Nossiter (29 June 1893 – 1977) was an English jeweller and jewellery designer from Aston, near Birmingham. Nossiter crafted precious jewellery of her own designs in the English Arts and Crafts Tradition in both sterling silver and go ...

. The business closed at the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

in 1939 and Dunlop never returned to work due to ill health. After the war Nathanson re-started the business and continued producing jewellery and silver under Dunlop's name until he retired in 1971.

References

External links

A collection of her designs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunlop, Sibyl 1889 births 1968 deaths 20th-century English women artists Artists from London British jewellers British jewellery designers People from Hampstead Women jewellers