Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Along with architect Alvar Aalto, the designer Tapio Wirkkala was Finland’s leading contributor to the Scandinavian interpretation of modernism in the mid-20th century. Prolific and innovative, Wirkkala excelled in a wide range of fields, including glass, furniture, porcelain, jewelry and tableware. The hallmark of his talent was an ability to impart a craft aesthetic based on natural forms — leaves, ice, bubbles, birds — to industrially produced designs.
A native of Helsinki, Wirkkala studied at the national School of Applied Arts and took up a career in graphic design. After serving in the Finnish army during World War II, he joined the glassmaking firm Iittala, an association that would continue to the end of his life. Wirkkala learned every aspect of glassmaking in keeping with his belief that an artist-designer should be involved in all stages of production. His best-known works for Iittala are vases and drinking vessels that resemble either carved ice or icicles. In 1956, Wirkkala began a long relationship with the porcelain maker Rosenthal, for whom he designed elegant table pieces, such as the Finlandia coffee service and the biomorphic Pollo vases.
House Beautiful magazine declared Wirkkala’s Leaf platter the “most beautiful object” of 1951. (The acclaim led to his brief employment stint with industrial designer Raymond Loewy in New York.) That platter was one of the first designs Wirkkala made using laminated sheets of plywood sanded to a smooth surface that resembles an abstract leaf. It would go on to become a motif in many Wirkkala furniture pieces — most notably in inlaid coffee tables for Asko — and in a sense these are the works most emblematic of his personal aesthetic.
Wirkkala was a traditionalist in many ways, but he had a modernist’s practical approach, incorporating his leaf-like spirals into simple, functional objects. That is the core attraction of Wirkkala’s designs: They stand out with a striking, sculptural energy yet blend in as part of a warm and comfortable decor.
Find vintage Tapio Wirkkala furniture on 1stDibs.
1970s Finnish Modernist Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Sterling Silver
1970s Finnish Modernist Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Sterling Silver
2010s Finnish Modernist Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Finnish Modernist Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Gold
1970s Finnish Modernist Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Sterling Silver
1970s Finnish Modernist Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Sterling Silver
1970s Finnish Modernist Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Sterling Silver
1970s Finnish Modernist Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Sterling Silver
1970s Finnish Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Silver
1970s Finnish Modernist Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Finnish Modern Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Gold
1970s Finnish Modernist Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Sterling Silver
1970s Finnish Artist Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
14k Gold
2010s Italian Contemporary Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Mixed Metal
2010s American Contemporary Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Gold, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Diamond, Gold
2010s Indian Modern Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
20th Century Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Turquoise, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Moonstone, 14k Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1890s Unknown Victorian Antique Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Diamond, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Diamond, White Gold
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Diamond, White Gold
1970s Finnish Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Silver
1970s Finnish Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Silver
1970s Finnish Modern Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Silver
1970s Finnish Modernist Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Silver
1970s Finnish Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Finnish Vintage Tapio Wirkkala Necklaces
Sterling Silver