Modified Georg Jensen Pieces

Throughout the time we have spent gathering and selling many of the pieces of Georg Jensen that are and have been in our collection, we occasionally have stumbled across a few pieces that have been modified. In some cases, the modifications have added to the rich history of the item, giving a personality and vitality to the individual item, such as in the case of monograms and engravings.

Some modifications are also to be expected in the case of repairs, occasional resizings in the case of rings, and the rare need to swap out a broken stone, all services we have performed with the aid of highly skilled repair people. In such cases we have walked carefully upon the line of preservation of the original Georg Jensen piece while maintaining the usability of the item for our client's needs. To this end we have carefully avoided purchasing items in a state of high disrepair, and have offered for our clients a very generous return policy to ensure items stay true to their rich history and intended purpose.

In other cases, however, the modifications can result in lowered value to the item, if any value remains at all for resale, though the reasons for these modifications can remain justifiable for the final owners. In some cases, such as the tie bar pictured on the right, the modification may be simple. A stone may be added where the official "version" of the item simply lacks one. In other cases, such as the pendant below, the modification goes beyond the original design, in this case, a bookmark has been modified into a fine pendant for its intended wearer. Where as we do not place judgement upon those that modify items, and in fact, some of our clients have asked us to locate a fine silversmith to help modify pieces to their needs (we do not give any recommendations for this purpose). 

However, once these items are modified one can find them cropping about in the resale market, an unfortunate situation that is currently happening with more frequency. This leads to a situation where some items may in fact contain Georg Jensen hallmarks from their constituent pieces, yet, as a whole, are no longer Georg Jensen items. In such cases, it often takes a trained eye and a rich understanding and knowledge of the Georg Jensen inventory line to to differentiate what is original and what is modified. To this end, we often go back to the original catalogs and sales materials from the silversmithy to aid us in making this distinction. 

As time progresses, please check back to see more examples of modified items.