Pair of earrings designed by Barbara Tipple with gold moons chased by Rod Kelly mounted in blued steel discs inlaid with gold by Robert Legg and set with diamonds, England, 1987. Each earring has a round wooden case with separate lid.

Each earring is composed of a central gold moon chased with a face which is set into a blued-steel disc inlaid in gold with meandering lines and set with four brilliant-cut diamonds. The backs are mounted with clip fittings. Each earring has a turned wooden case with a domed lid, each with a finial that represents different aspects of the moon.

Given by Mildred Tao

A first making of the design for these earrings was illustrated in the Tatler in 1987 in an article on gold jewellery promoted by the Gold Information Office which celebrated the work of of Barbara Tipple, Jane Sarginson, David Tinsley, Mario Saba, David Thomas, Peter Page, De Vroomen Design and Jacqueline Mina. The illustration of Barbara Tipple's design caught the eye of Dr Mildred Tao who commissioned from Barbara Tipple these earrings in gold and steel set with diamonds. Following Barbara Tipple's design, Rod Kelly chased the two central Moon faces in gold. Robert Campbell-Legg inlaid the cloud pattern in gold into steel. The steel was blued by Johnson’s of Ruislip.

This use of leading specialists in their field to execute her designs was a feature of Barbara Tipple’s work, as was noted in the Financial Times by Lucia van der Post in an article on 9/10 October 1993. The chased moons show Rod Kelly responding to Barbara Tipple's drawing in a more impressionistic style than is usually found in work from his own design. The moons contrast powerfully with the large blued-steel discs inlaid in gold by Robert Campbell-Legg.

Lucia van der Post described Barbara Tipple as working 'with metals, both precious and semi-precious, bronze and all manner of stones from the most precious of all, such as Sandawana emeralds and the finest diamonds, to semi-precious tourmaline and even rock crystal. She loves combining metals such as steel with 22 carat gold and then adding the finest engraving or inlaid work. Most of her pieces are strong and bold and one or two are almost monumental, with an almost primitive feeling which is counterpointed by the extremely high quality of the finishes and workmanship'.

Barbara Tipple won the Diamonds International Award as a student at Hornsey College of Art in 1972 and twice more as a professional jeweller in 1984 and 1998. Her triple success gained her membership of the Diamonds International Academy in 1998. For over forty years she has worked for an international clientele from her studio in Southsea and for many years she also had a shop and a workshop at 1, Albermarle Street, London W.1. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Portsmouth in 2012. She is married to the goldsmith David Ward.

For Rod Kelly's chased silver and gold Bible cover, see M.21-2005, one of a number of a number his pieces in the collections of the V&A, M.21-2005.

Robert Campbell-Legg was a full-time tutor at the School of Jewellery in Birmingham for 23 years. His commissions have included making the trophy and the trainer's prize for the King George V and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot.

This striking pair of earrings was designed in 1987 by Barbara Tipple, an eminent British jeweller since the 1970s. The chasing of the gold moons was executed by Rod Kelly and the gold inlay work by Robert Campbell-Legg. The bold design, the combination of steel and gold, and the use of leading specialists are characteristic of her work.

Barbara Tipple (born 1951) has three times won the Diamonds International Award. She received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Portsmouth in 2012.

M.35:1 to 6-2018