Ari Norman

Last updated

Ari Norman with sons Lee (L) and Adam (R) being presented with the patent for his family coat of arms by Thomas Woodcock, Norroy and Ulster King of Arms at the College of Arms Ari Norman Receiving Family Coat of Arms with Sons.jpg
Ari Norman with sons Lee (L) and Adam (R) being presented with the patent for his family coat of arms by Thomas Woodcock, Norroy and Ulster King of Arms at the College of Arms

Ari Daniel Norman is a British designer and manufacturer of traditional and modern sterling silver jewellery and gifts. Norman is the founder and director of Ari D Norman Ltd, international supplier of sterling silver designs to the trade and consumer market, and creator of the Ari D Norman brand. [1]

Contents

Norman was the first and only silversmith to win the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement in 1989 and was awarded Freedom of the City of London in 1992 for services rendered to the British Silver industry. [2] [3]

He currently lives and works in North West London with his two sons, Lee and Adam.

Early life

Ari Norman’s paternal grandfather, Leibish Nussbaum, a Polish diamond cleaver was arrested in Marmande in the Southern French region of Lot-et-Garonne in 1942, where he and his wife were in hiding during WWII and taken via Drancy to the concentration camp Auschwitz where he was killed as part of the Holocaust. [4] [5] [6] Some of his other family went into hiding in Lot-et-Garonne, including his grandmother Perla, his aunt Laura and her husband Nathan. They were hidden by a Resistance member, called Lucienne Deguilhem, who had a large house in Monbahus. Norman’s cousin Jacques was born during this time in hiding. [7] Norman’s father, Shabse Nussbaum (later Sydney Norman), escaped the Holocaust by boarding a ship he thought was headed for the South of France only to discover he was headed for England. There he stayed, married Phillys Larkham who had originally taken him in as a Belgian refugee, and continued to work in the diamond industry for many years. In 1956, with his mother and four older sisters, Ari Norman went to live in Liberia, aged nine, with two pet chimps, a pygmy deer and a couple of pygmy hippos, whilst his father pursued his passion for discovering diamonds in West Africa. His father had an eventual breakthrough and was one of the first people to help discover diamonds in the rivers and jungles of Liberia. [8] He was honoured by the Liberian President Tubman in the 1960s. [8] [9]

Having studied to become a Civil Engineer, [10] Norman returned to Liberia in his 20s to help build roads and bridges for his father’s expanding diamond mine but chose not to focus on Civil Engineering as a career path. Instead he travelled across North and South America through his 20s and 30s. [10] His father's diamond mine became unworkable due to its location in such an unstable region and he sold it on, only to be given it back for free a few years later.

In May 2014, Lucienne Deguilhem was posthumously awarded ‘Just Amongst Nations’ by Yad Vashem, World centre for Holocaust research, to coincide with the first National Day of Resistance in France. [11]

Career

Queen's Award for Export Achievement Certificate Ari D Norman Queen's Award for Export Achievement Certificate.jpg
Queen's Award for Export Achievement Certificate
Certificate of the Freedom of the City of London Certificate of Freedom of the City of London for Ari Norman.jpg
Certificate of the Freedom of the City of London

Ari Norman had decided that wherever he travelled in the world, he would pick up local craft samples and send them back home. As Norman was on his world travels, he collected a wide range of items including ethnic jewellery and clothing and shipped them all home. Once back in London, Norman and his father decided to offer these unique items for sale to retailers in the West End and around the King’s Road. [10] Mexican Silver proved to be the most popular. Norman sold every sample he had shipped home and received future orders for items he didn’t have. He returned to Mexico where he had found the silver pieces and his business took off. Norman originally bought from retailers in Mexico City but soon moved onto the town of Taxco where the silver craftsmen were based and he could buy from them wholesale. International Jewellery and Crafts was officially born in 1974, run from Norman’s parents’ house in Willesden, London and would become Ari D Norman Ltd in 1976.

Norman initially bought silver jewellery and gift items from Mexican artisans in order to sell directly onto retailers. He then started to design his own work, at first adapting and modify pieces, later creating more and more original pieces until Norman eventually developed his own antique style that would become globally heralded and often copied. Norman took great interest in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements and began to design jewellery that reflected these styles. He then drew inspiration from further back in time and would design items heavily influenced by the Victorian art era. These were considered the 'antiques of tomorrow' [10] and drew influence from artists such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh, William Morris, Georges Fouquet, Victor Horta, Rene Lalique and Alphonse Mucha. [12]

Norman and his father began to attend trade exhibitions throughout the United Kingdom, branching out to major European exhibitions followed by residencies in North American and Far Eastern trade exhibitions. [1] [13] [14] The Ari D Norman brand grew its global identity throughout the 1980s and 1990s with Norman often attending around 36 international exhibitions a year and exporting to 80 countries. [1] [13] Ari claimed the world record for participating in the most trade exhibitions worldwide. [15] Ari D Norman revived an interest in small sterling silver accessories such as perfume bottles, thimbles, snuffboxes and collectable pillboxes. [1] [14] [16]

Norman moved the business from his parents’ house to an office building in Northwest London called Argenta House. He managed to campaign the council for a name change of the local road where the office was situated and it was renamed Argenta Way. [17]

Ari D Norman Ltd became 'the brand behind the brand'. Norman was commissioned to create work for many large brands including Parker Pens, The Orient Express and Wedgewood. [3] For Parker Pens, he created a new version of their classic Snake Pen which is now a collectors item. [18]

Certificate from the College of Arms for Ari Norman familial coat of arms Ari Norman Family Coat of Arms Certificate.jpg
Certificate from the College of Arms for Ari Norman familial coat of arms

In recognition of his international work, Norman was awarded the Queens Award for Export Achievement in 1989 [1] [19] [20] and was invited to Buckingham Palace. He was unable to attend this event as he was exhibiting abroad but sent his mother along instead. In 1992, he was invited to join the Worshipful Guild of Goldsmiths in recognition of his services to the silver industry and his promotion of the hallmarking system, and was awarded the Freedom of the City of London. [3] Following these awards, Norman was given the right to apply for his own family coat of arms. Norman spent a number of years designing the coat of arms and created a collection of personal familial symbols as part of the coat of arms that would represent his family name over the coming generations. This was presented to Norman by the Royal College of Arms in 1996. [3]

Ari Norman has long been an advocate for the hallmarking system and has promoted the system globally. Norman travelled the world explaining the hallmarking system so that clients could understand the craftsmanship and quality that a hallmark signifies. The system is the oldest form of consumer protection in existence. All the silver produced by Ari D Norman Ltd bears the full British Hallmark with the exception of pieces too small or too delicate to bear it, in which case they are marked 925. [13] [16] When Ari D Norman Ltd became the first British silversmith to receive the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement, to recognise the achievement and the fact that Ari Norman had been one of the most vocal advocates of the system globally, the Queen’s Award Mark was applied as an additional hallmark to their silver items. This hallmark is unique to Ari D Norman and can be found in Bradbury’s book of Hallmarks. [21]

In 2012, Norman commissioned a series of urban art murals to be painted by a local artist, Abe Sesay, across the facade of their headquarters in London depicting a number of race issues from the Olympic Games including the members of the Israeli Olympic team who were murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics, Tommie Smith and John Carlos who stood for the Black Power movement at the 1968 Olympics and sprinter Jesse Owens who raced at the 1936 Olympics. [5] [6] [17] [22] [23]

Ari Norman continues to develop the Ari D Norman brand across the globe and most recently created a new fashion jewellery brand called JewelAri.

Personal life

Norman cites his grandfather’s murder at the hands of the Nazis in Auschwitz as a major influence on his actions and character and continues to have a ‘holocaust’ mentality, where nothing in one's life should be taken for granted. [10] "I was brought up by a father who was gravely affected by the Holocaust, because his own father was murdered at Auschwitz. I learned the hard way that you have to stand up and be counted, not be scared to show that you're Jewish, and be ready to fight for your independence." [10]

Norman was originally born Leon Norman but officially changed his name as a teenager to Ari to reflect his Jewish heritage. [10] The name Ari is the equivalent Hebrew version of Leon and means Lion. Politically active and a keen traveller, Norman travelled across Europe aged 16 with a friend intending to emigrate to Israel. However, when they reached Italy they were detained by Interpol and sent home by the British consulate, because Norman's friend had not told his parents where they were going. [10] Norman volunteered during the Israeli Six-Day War of 1967 when many of his friends and family were travelling in the opposite direction back to the UK to avoid the conflict. [10] [24] In 2010, his thatched house caught fire and he was forced to watch from over the road for the next eight hours as eight fire engines tried to put out the roof blaze. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sterling silver</span> Alloy of silver

Sterling silver is an alloy composed by weight of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925.

A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal, mostly to certify the content of noble metals—such as platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term hallmark is used to refer to any standard of quality. Not to be confused with responsibility marks that are the marks of the maker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of Jewish Heritage</span> Museum in Manhattan, New York

The Museum of Jewish Heritage, located on Edmond J. Safra Plaza in Battery Park City in Manhattan, New York City, is a living memorial to those murdered in the Holocaust. The museum has received more than 2 million visitors since opening in 1997. The mission statement of the museum is "to educate people of all ages and backgrounds about the broad tapestry of Jewish life in the 20th and 21st centuries—before, during, and after the Holocaust."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulgari</span> Italian luxury fashion house

Bulgari is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1884 and known for its jewellery, watches, fragrances, accessories, and leather goods.

The Holocaust has been a prominent subject of art and literature throughout the second half of the twentieth century. There is a wide range of ways–including dance, film, literature, music, and television–in which the Holocaust has been represented in the arts and popular culture.

Michael Berenbaum is an American scholar, professor, rabbi, writer, and filmmaker, who specializes in the study of the Holocaust. He served as deputy director of the President's Commission on the Holocaust (1979–1980), Project Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) (1988–1993), and Director of the USHMM's Holocaust Research Institute (1993–1997).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Bensimon</span> Egyptian-Australian businessman

Albert Bensimon is an Egyptian-Australian businessman from Adelaide, South Australia. He is most well known as the owner of Shiels Jewellers. He frequently appeared in television advertisements and became famous for his catchphrase "No Hoo-Haa".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Prip</span> Danish-American metalsmith

John Axel Prip, also known as Jack Prip (1922–2009), was an American master metalsmith, industrial designer, and educator. He was known for setting standards of excellence in American metalsmithing. His works and designs have become famous for bringing together the formal, technical tradition of Danish design into harmony with the American desire for innovation. Several of his designs for the Reed and Barton Company are still in production today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asprey</span> British luxury goods company

Asprey is a United Kingdom-based designer, manufacturer and retailer of jewellery, silverware, home goods, leather goods, timepieces, and books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Jan van Pelt</span> Dutch historian

Robert Jan van Pelt is a Dutch author, architectural historian, professor at the University of Waterloo and a Holocaust scholar. One of the world's leading experts on Auschwitz, he regularly speaks on Holocaust related topics, through which he has come to address Holocaust denial. He was an expert witness in Deborah Lipstadt's successful defence in the civil libel suit brought against her by British author and Holocaust denier David Irving in 1996.

Sara Jocelyn Margarita Elissa Burton was an award-winning British silver and goldsmith. Burton was the first woman to receive the City and Guilds of London Institute top award, the Prince Philip Medal.

Hersey & Son is a company founded in Clerkenwell, England. The company is a noted firm of Silversmiths with a history dating back to 1955 when Michael Hersey started his apprenticeship and to 1971 when he and David Mills founded the firm.

Pétur Tryggvi Hjalmarsson was an Icelandic gold and silversmith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Steuart Shanks</span>

James Steuart Shanks, (1826–1911), second son of the coachmaker Robert Shanks was a British merchant living in Moscow. James studied at Leiden University and he came of age in 1845 at which point he inherited from his uncle Robert How. In 1852 James established the Moscow shop 'Shanks & Bolin, Magasin Anglais' with Henrik Conrad Bolin, younger brother of Carl Edvard Bolin, the St. Petersburg jeweller of House of Bolin. Two of James' children made significant contributions to art and literature.

Alister Theodore Fennell is a British jewellery and silverware designer. He is often called the "King of Bling" for his flamboyant designs for celebrity clientele. In 1982, he founded Theo Fennell, his eponymous jewellery business. In 2009, he returned to the helm after leaving the company for 18 months. He regained control of the company in 2021.

Curtis Australia is an Australian manufacturing company of luxury goods, based in Melbourne. Products manufactured by the company are handcrafted jewellery, watches and writing implements such as fountain, ballpoint and rollerball pens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lois Betteridge</span> Canadian silversmith and goldsmith (1928–2020)

Lois Etherington Betteridge was a Canadian silversmith, goldsmith, designer and educator, and a major figure in the Canadian studio craft movement. Betteridge entered Canadian silversmithing in the 1950s, at a time when the field was dominated by male artists and designers, many of them emigrés from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe. In fact, Betteridge was the first Canadian silversmith to attain international stature in the post-war studio craft movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yemenite silversmithing</span> Silvercraft of the Jews of Yemen

Yemenite silversmithing refers to the work of Jewish silversmiths from Yemen. They were highly acclaimed craftsmen who dominated craft production in precious metals in the southern Arabian peninsula from at least the 18th through the mid-20th century, a period and region during which Muslims did not engage in this work. These Yemenite silversmiths were noted for their skilled use of fine granulation and filigree, producing ornaments such as women's bracelets, necklaces, finials, as well as elaborate scabbard sheaths for men's daggers.

Stanley George Morris was a British silversmith. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

Joyce Rosemary Himsworth was a British independent designer silversmith. From an early age she worked with her father, the polymath Joseph Beeston Himsworth (1874–1968) making small spoons and items of jewellery. She went on to study at Sheffield College of Arts and Craft, focusing on jewellery manufacture and enamelling. Her undoubted talents were not enough for her to gain a position within the family cutlery firm, B. Worth & Sons.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Oldfield, Claire (24 March 1996). "Trade Fair Sales Sparkle". The Sunday Times Newspaper.
  2. ↑ I Jang (2004). "China Gem". Chinese science and technology periodical database: 116–117.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Krieger, Candice (20 December 2007). "Ari Norman designs the ultimate family Chanucah gift". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  4. ↑ "The Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names". db.yadvashem.org/.
  5. 1 2 "Ari's Art Tribute to Athletes". 3 August 2012 – via Jewish Telegraph.
  6. 1 2 Oryszczuk, Stephen (16 August 2012). "Street Level Legacy". Jewish News.
  7. ↑ "Monbahus. Lucienne Deguilhem, Just in the spotlight". Ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  8. 1 2 FPM van der Kraaij (1983). The Open Door Policy of Liberia - An Economic History of Modern Liberia. pp. 140–141.
  9. ↑ Norman, Sydney (29 November 1969). "Liberia's Immortal Treasure".
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Oryszczuk, Stephen (25 October 2012). "The man of silver who is full of golden tales". The Jewish News.
  11. ↑ "The Righteous Amongst The Nations". db.yadvashem.org/. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  12. ↑ Morton, Lauren. "Ari D Norman launches new competition for young designers". Jewellery Focus.
  13. 1 2 3 "Industry Recognises Ari D Norman". Export News. Summer 2008.
  14. 1 2 Boris, Sands (26 November 1989). "Watchmaker rings change of time". Sunday Morning Post.
  15. ↑ Packer, Nigel (11 February 1993). "ISF - International Spring Fair". Retail Jeweller.
  16. 1 2 Bryan, Patterson (May 1992). "Ari D Norman on screen in Japan". British Jeweller.
  17. 1 2 "Stonebridge Park wall showcases art depicting iconic moments in Olympic history". kilburntimes.co.uk. 5 August 2012.
  18. ↑ Olson, Nancy (March 1997). "The Passion, the Drama and the Magic of the Parker Snake". Pen World International.
  19. ↑ "HALLMARKS OF ENGLISH SILVER MAKER'S MARK IDENTIFICATION - ILLUSTRATED LISTING". silvercollection.it.
  20. ↑ Kelly, Sinead (9 November 1989). "Silversmith's Family Wins Queen's Award". Times Chronicle.
  21. ↑ Bradbury, Frederick (2014). Bradbury's Book of Hallmarks. Assay Office, Sheffield. ISBN   978-1-872212-08-1.
  22. ↑ Bishop, Kathryn (9 August 2012). "Jewellery manufacturer adorns HQ with Olympic art". professionaljeweller.com/.
  23. ↑ Walter, Max (5 August 2012). "Stonebridge Park wall showcases art depicting iconic moments in Olympic history". Brent and Kilburn Times.
  24. ↑ Scott, Richard (3 June 1967). "First flight of British volunteers to reap Israeli harvest". The Guardian.
  25. ↑ IAN PROCTOR (19 March 2009). "Thatch roof fire in Kingsbury near to schools". getwestlondon.co.uk/.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.