The American sculptor Alexander Calder (1898-1976) was born in Philadephia and originally studied engineering. By his own account, his first jewellery was made for his sister’s dolls when he was aged 8, out of discarded copper wire. Wire remained an important element in his larger work and his preferred material for jewellery. He worked in both silver and brass, either hammering or twisting the wire to achieve strong, simple forms. Calder’s jewellery exemplifies a light-hearted genius. It introduced a highly individual note to the jewellery of the 1930s.