Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe was a master jeweller and silversmith and is one of the most important Swedish designers of the twentieth century. She is known as ‘Torun’ and is the first female silversmith to have received international recognition. The 'Mobile' necklace is one of Torun's most iconic pieces – she created it in 1959. Designed as a wraparound (torque) necklace, quartz balances the weight and allows for the piece to whirl around the neck. This was groundbreaking in jewellery design. No one had previously made an asymmetrical piece of this kind. In 1960, a year after Torun made the piece, she was awarded the Lunning Prize – the prestigious Nordic design prize. Torun believed that it was because of the ‘Mobile’ necklace and the recognition she received for it that she won the prize.

Torun’s jewellery references organic shapes and brings to mind plant leaves, blossoms, swirls, and the flow of water. Her minimalist forms and simple lines are sensual and achieve reduced elegance. She frequently combined silver with found pebbles, shells, wood, seeds, and fossils and used comparably inexpensive materials, such as granite, rock crystal, moonstone, and quartz. 

Throughout her career, she worked in Sweden, France, Germany, and Indonesia. Fascinated by the natural beauty of pebbles found on a beach in France, Torun started using these in her work. She appreciated their low cost and noncommercial quality. It was during one of her walks on the beach, whilst collecting pebbles, that Torun met Picasso. 
Simple silver neck rings with glass or rock suspended from thin arms belong to her most characteristic pieces. Torun used fine silver wire, skilfully coiled instead of soldered. Her work is characterised by a superb understanding of material and form. Torun’s artistry stretched beyond the creation of physical objects. She saw her pieces as symbols that express an individual’s essence. Please visit www.modernity.se or DM us to enquire. Photography @asaliffner #Torun #modernity #modernitystockholm #viviannatorunbülowhübe #scandinaviandesign