In the world of antique silver collection, there is a name that represents absolute “Difference”.
When other silversmiths were desperately polishing silverware like mirrors, Georg Jensen went the opposite way. This Danish sculptor-turned-silversmith believed that silver should not be as cold as a mirror, but should have “moonlight-like soft luster”.
So, he created the famous Hammer Marks.
🔨 What are Hammer Marks?
If you pick up an early Jensen silver pot and look at it against the light, you will find that the surface is covered with countless tiny, irregular dents. This is not a flaw, but traces left by thousands of manual hammer blows by craftsmen.
These tiny concave surfaces will diffusely reflect light, making the silverware look less like metal and more like organically growing plants or flowing moonlight. This is the most critical feature for identifying Jensen’s early works—because the surface of modern machine-pressed products is smooth and rigid.
🌑 Oxidation Process: Embracing Darkness
Another rebellious point of Jensen is his use of Oxidisation.
Usually people hate silver turning black. But Jensen would deliberately use chemicals to dye the depressions of the pattern black, in order to highlight the layering of the three-dimensional relief. This contrast between gray-black shadows and silver-white highlights makes that bunch of silver grapes or silver buds seem to come alive.
Collection Warning: If you buy an old Jensen, never polish those black crevices brightly! That is part of the soul of the work, polishing it off turns it into “ordinary goods”.
🏆 Classic Series Worth Collecting
- Blossom (Magnolia): This is Jensen’s most iconic Art Nouveau style work. Curling vines, full buds, full of vitality. Especially the 2C teapot, the top cover is a resting frog, very vivid.
- Acorn: Designed by Johan Rohde. This is Jensen’s largest production and most popular tableware series. If you want to use master works on your daily dining table, Acorn is the best entry.
- Pyramid: Designed by Harald Nielsen. This is a masterpiece of Art Deco style, with cold lines and stepped shapes, very much like the skyscrapers of that time.
Owning a Georg Jensen, you own not just a piece of silver, but a touch of gentle moonlight in the long Nordic night.
