Rhoda Wager: Fine Wrought Jewels
CELEBRATING THE ROARING TWENTIES IN A SPECIAL SERIES
When I was at art college I discovered Greville St in Prahran, back when it was ungentrified, full of vintage stores and quirky boutiques. I used to browse among the jewels of Palm Beads – almost the only store from back then that is still open today. I bought an expensive ring – so far beyond my impecunious student budget that I had to put it on lay-by – that, the owner informed me, was inspired by Rhoda Wager, a jewellery designer of the 1920s.
So far, so fabulous, but I couldn’t find any information on her (the world wide web was in its infancy); not so now.
Rhoda Wager was born in London in 1875, attending the local art school and in the early nineteen-noughties she was studying under Bernard Cuzner, a talented silversmith. Late in 1913, she emigrated to Fiji, living on her brother’s sugar plantation, and then settled in Sydney in 1918, where she resumed jewellery-making.
A review of her work in 1925 stated ‘her work is wrought from beginning to end. Each flower, stem and leaf or berry is made separately and soldered on bit by bit'. Her favourite stones were opals and yellow sapphires, and she incorporated foliage (not Australian flora, as is often assumed) into her designs. As well as the standard jewellery items such as brooches, rings, pendants and bracelets, she also wrought belt buckles and spoons, personalizing them for individual clients.
A strong businesswoman, she designed, executed, marketed and sold her work herself. In 1928 she apprenticed her sixteen-year-old niece, Dorothy Wager, and trained her to work in the Arts and Crafts style. In 1946, Wager retired to Brisbane where she died in 1953.
She produced some twelve thousand pieces of jewellery during her career, and was much copied by other jewellers. Her work was so expertly designed however, that such copies were inevitably inferior.
My ring is such one modern example, made from sterling silver and blue glass that shines violet when it catches the light.