The Sunderland Collection and GRIMA have announced the release of their second collaborative jewellery collection, Dürer Wings, drawing on imagery from a rare 16th-century map by Albrecht Dürer.
The collection includes a series of handcrafted earrings inspired by Dürer’s World Map as a Sphere (1515), specifically the illustrated “windheads” that appear around the map. The collection consists of three limited-edition earring designs—six pairs of each—made in textured gold with diamonds, textured platinum with diamonds, and platinum with pavé diamonds. Two unique pieces were also produced: one pair in hand-carved frosted rock crystal and diamonds, and another in hand-carved black jade and diamonds, both set in platinum.
Each design incorporates references to historical cartography alongside traditional jewellery-making techniques. The use of textured metal continues a technique long associated with GRIMA.
Francesca Grima, designer at GRIMA, said: “It’s an enormous pleasure for us to continue our first collaboration with a heritage collection. For the Dürer Wings pieces, we looked to textured gold and platinum which my father, Andrew Grima, preferred to the traditional polished metals that were fashionable in the late 1940s, when he was starting out. Inspired by his love of this technique, we used it to recreate the shading effect and beautiful details of Dürer’s drawings. We continue to be immensely inspired by the quality and history of The Sunderland Collection’s maps and atlases.”
Historical source and collaboration
Helen Sunderland-Cohen, custodian of the Collection, said: “Collaborating with visionary designers and master craftspeople like GRIMA is incredibly exciting and resonates strongly with our efforts to activate The Sunderland Collection in a truly authentic, meaningful way. Dürer carved his map into a wooden block, creating an innovative, dynamic image of a spherical earth surrounded by individualised windheads. The map has only survived in a small number of copies. GRIMA has reflected this beautifully in these exquisite earrings: delicate surface texture, painstaking setting and carving, the round curve of the feathers… We are thrilled to debut these pieces!”
Dürer’s World Map as a Sphere is recognised as an important early example of spherical cartographic representation in Renaissance Europe. Its interpretation through contemporary jewellery design marks a continuing interest in historical themes within high jewellery collaborations.
Availability and exhibition details
The Dürer Wings collection will be available to view by invitation from mid-May 2025, and will also be shown during the GRIMA exhibition at Tomasso Gallery, Jermyn Street, London, from 12–21 June 2025. Pricing is available on request. Enquiries can be directed to info@sunderland-collection.com.
