Scottish Silver Ola Gorie 'may Queen' Brooch

Ola Gorie was born in Kirkwall and lived with her parents, Minnie and Patrick Gorie, who ran a grocers and wine merchants in central Kirkwall. Ola decided to pursue an artistic career and attended Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen, leaving in 1960 as the first graduate of its jewellery department. Ola returned to Orkney where three jewellery shops in Kirkwall agreed to sell her designs. When she took over her own shop, her early designs, the first to be originated in Orkney since Viking times drew heavily on Orkney's Norse heritage, featuring images such as the Maes Howe dragon, inspired by Viking graffiti in a Neolithic tomb. Her jewellery found acceptance both locally and, by the end of the sixties, across the country. Appreciation of it grew as part of the wider craft movement in Britain in general, and the Scottish Highlands in particular. Her work drew inspiration from Orkney's Norse, Pictish, Scottish and Celtic heritage and natural forms. Commissions for one-off pieces came from the Queen Mother, Liberty of London, the British Museum and the House of Commons, among others.