This brooch is made of 14ct gold by the Finnish designer Liisa Vitali.
Liisa Vitali was born on 9th November 1918 in Helsinki. The family moved to a farm in the small village of Viluksela in southern Finland when Liisa was two. Following the death of their parents Liisa and her brother Väinö continued to run the farm. At school Liisa won a competition for a set of jewellery she designed. She would go on to be one of Finland’s most recognisable jewellery designers of the second half of the 20th century. Her main inspiration was nature which is reflected in the names of her jewellery series. For example,
Beehive (Ampiaisenpesä), Spring (Kevät), Buttercup (Leinikki), Ladybird (Leppäkerttu), Flowerbud (Nuppu)
Most of her jewellery was made of silver, so it is unusual to have a piece in gold. I love the negative space the circles create when the brooch is worn on a dark plain jumper. Her style was distinctive and is easy to recognise.
Her work was sold in one of Finland’s most prestigious design stores Aarika established in 1954 by Kaija Aarika a long-standing family friend. Liisa started by designing buttons but soon moved into jewellery. Sadly, Liisa died in 1987 on her 69th birthday of pancreatic cancer.
In 2012 a biography of Liisa Vitali by Leeni Tiirakari entitled ‘Design Liisa Vitali’ was published. Unfortunately, it is only available in Finnish.
One of Finland’s best-known and largest jewellery companies based in Helsinki is Kalevala established in 1937. Next month’s Brooch of the Month is called ‘Dreams’ and is a Kalevala brooch.