Wright Auction

Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe was a visionary Swedish jewelry designer celebrated for her minimalist, modernist approach and for creating some of the most iconic designs of the 20th century. Often referred to simply as "Torun," she defied conventions of both jewelry and gender, producing elegant, wearable art that emphasized fluid lines, natural materials, and a deep sense of harmony and balance.

Born in Malmö, Sweden, Torun was the daughter of a sculptor and a town planner, and her upbringing instilled in her a strong creative spirit and independent mindset. She began designing jewelry as a teenager and later studied at the Konstfack (University of Arts, Crafts and Design) in Stockholm. Even early in her career, Torun broke with tradition by choosing to work in materials like twisted silver wire, rock crystal, and semi-precious stones—rejecting opulence in favor of purity and movement.

In the 1950s and ’60s, Torun became a leading figure in avant-garde design circles in Europe. She gained international recognition not only for her groundbreaking aesthetics but also for her defiant position as one of the few prominent female silversmiths in a male-dominated industry. Her work embodied an organic elegance—light, fluid, and sculptural, with asymmetry and open spaces that invited interaction with the body. She once said, “A piece of jewelry should be a symbol of love, a token of faith, or a reminder of a moment of happiness. It should not be a status symbol.”

Perhaps her most enduring contributions came through her long collaboration with the Danish silver company Georg Jensen, which began in 1969. For Jensen, she designed several iconic pieces, including the Vivianna bangle watch, a sleek, open-ended timepiece that merged form and function while challenging the very notion of time as restrictive. Her creations for Georg Jensen—bracelets, necklaces, and rings—remain among the company’s best-known and best-selling designs.

Torun’s personal life was as unconventional as her work. She lived in Paris, Germany, Indonesia, and finally in the South of France, where she became involved with the spiritual movement Subud. Her international lifestyle and openness to different cultures deeply informed her creative worldview. Today, Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe is remembered not only as a master jeweler, but also as a pioneer of modern design.