FUNNY JEWELRY MUSHROOMS GIFTS FROM CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE
We all know about the magnificent Easter eggs with a surprise that the great Faberge created for the imperial family and some other clients. Following the example of the famous jeweler, almost all famous jewelers created Easter eggs with a surprise at different times. But few people have heard of Easter mushrooms with a surprise. Nevertheless, there are such mushrooms. Such funny jewelry gifts were invented and created in the second half of the 20th century by the famous British jeweler Christopher Nigel Lawrence.
Christopher Nigel Lawrence was born in 1936 in Cumberland, then moved to Essex, where he became interested in jewelry making and decided at the age of 13 that he wanted to become a silversmith. At 15, he became a student of CJ Wonder, a tray maker, then studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. Before founding his own workshop, Christopher worked for 8 years in the firm of Gerald Benney, a famous British jeweler. Christopher preferred to engage in creative activity, rather than promoting his own jewelry brand, and therefore began to work on orders for large jewelry firms. He won 28 prizes in the Crafts Council of Goldsmiths competitions and 3 awards from the Jacques Cartier Memorial. In 1973, he held a solo exhibition at Goldsmith’s Hall, where visitors were impressed by his silverware.
A mushroom with a bulbous head made of gilded silver on an elongated stem, set on a stone stand surrounded by gilded leaves. The lid opens on one side and reveals a rotating section: on one side there is an image of two mice and a pumpkin, on the opposite side there is a pumpkin carriage drawn by horses in front of a brick building, height 31 cm.
As you can see, in addition to Easter mushrooms, Christopher Lawrence also produced traditional Easter eggs. Hidden inside the egg is a rotating platform with two squirrels: one stands on a stump and puts a hat on the other squirrel, height 11.5 cm.
