Flora Danica, one of the most famous jewelry companies in Denmark, was founded in Copenhagen in 1953 by the Eggerts. The company became famous thanks to the delightful decorations created on the basis of living plants.
Spouses Orla Eggert (Orla Eggert) and Grete Eggert (Grete Eggert) are once professional dancers, performing in pairs on the largest European dance scenes, in variety shows and nightclubs. The birth of their daughter made them think about the end of their dancing career and look for other opportunities for living.
creative idea
Orla decided that he would make jewelry based on the gifts of nature, moreover, any leaf or flower would become not just a model for creativity, but a completely independent work of art. In the modest conditions of their own kitchen, the Eggerts have developed a unique technology for creating jewelry by electroforming (metal coating of non-metal products) based on natural materials – flowers, blades of grass, berries, fruits or leaves.
At first, copper was involved in the metallization process, but very soon copper was replaced with sterling silver (925). Under the influence of current, the living tissue of the plant evaporated, preserving its unique natural forms in silver, which were then covered with 24 carat gold. These products were in unprecedented demand, and within a few months the Eggerts had their own jewelry company, called “Flora Danica”.
The unique production allowed the Danish jeweler to perpetuate in his masterpieces the pristine beauty of the rich vegetation of Denmark – in the flowers of quivering lilac, delicate forget-me-not, beautiful daisy, and even such an ordinary plant as parsley looked just great.
Orla Eggert often updated and diversified his collections. One day he decided to create a series of clover jewelry. Not having collected enough raw materials to work, Eggert placed an advertisement in the newspaper that the company accepts freshly picked clover leaves from the population for a fee. Soon a huge number of people who wanted to hand over the clover “material” to the company’s disposal gathered, and as a result, there was no shortage of jewelry from this series on the shining shelves of Flora Danica.
famous brand buyer
They also did not have a lack of attention from ordinary or eminent fans and even monarchs. For example, in 1992, the Royal Court of Denmark ordered a unique brooch here, which was personally designed by the ruling Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II (she also turned out to be a talented artist).
The brooch depicts a squirrel sitting on a beech branch. The squirrel, as it were, symbolizes the applied arts traditional for Denmark, and the beech branch here is a symbol of nature. A luxurious commemorative brooch was presented to all the participants of the ball dedicated to the 25-year reign of the Queen – as a personal gift from Her Majesty.
In 2011, Princess Marie, daughter-in-law of Queen Margrethe II, commissioned Flora Danica to wear a tiara for ceremonial receptions. The jewelry was created by designer Anja Blikenberg (Anja Blinkenberg) in collaboration with Princess Marie herself. The result of their collaboration is an elegant diadem that tells the beautiful love story of Marie and her husband Joachim.
The diadem is a wreath of three lilies.
In the lilies, there is a hint of the homeland of Princess Marie – France, where, as you know, the lily flower (fleur-de-lis) is a heraldic symbol. Lilies, in the context of the creation of this diadem, symbolize Princess Marie herself, her husband, Crown Prince Joachim, and their first child, Prince Henrik.
Lilies are made of silver, in the center of the flowers are a scattering of 50 diamonds, and the base of the diadem is decorated with 25 beautiful amethysts – the princess’s favorite stones. Flora Danica jewelry is popular all over the world, especially vintage collections of the 50s and 60s of the last century, which have become cult for connoisseurs of antiquity. From the day it was founded until 2005, the company was considered a family business – following Orla and Grete, the second and third generations of the Eggerts supported the precious business.
In 2006 Flora Danica was bought by the design family of Anette and Wagn Ibsen. They expanded the assortment of the company and now, in addition to the traditional jewelry for this company, luxurious lines of collections in the style of modernism are offered here.
