“people loved him as much as they loved his jewellery” – Leo de Vroomen (1941-2025)
Eleni Bide and Dr Dora Thornton celebrate the life and work of Leo De Vroomen, 1941-2025. Internationally renowned jeweller, Liveryman of the Goldsmiths’ Company, advocate for training and development, and a well loved member of our trade and craft.
Leo de Vroomen and Ginnie de Vroomen in their Rosebery Avenue workshop, London EC1
A tribute to Leo de Vroomen
Written by Eleni Bide, Head of the Goldsmiths’ Company Library & Archives
Leo De Vroomen’s exceptional jewellery attracted many superlatives and the same can be said of the man himself. He was, according to Joanna Hardy, ‘larger than life’, and his enthusiasm and passion were infectious. An encounter with Leo could leave glamorous clients and senior industry professionals remarking on his charm and talent but his love of jewellery as an art form was democratic. Those starting out were just as likely to be offered the magical experience of a visit to his workshop.
Growing up near Leiden, Leo trained as a goldsmith in Switzerland before moving to Britain in 1965, attracted by the vibrancy of London. Before long he was working for the renowned jeweller David Thomas and teaching at the Central School of Art and Design. It was here that he met a gifted designer who would have profound impact on his future work: his wife Ginnie. Their creative partnership spanned over fifty years and the name De Vroomen became associated with prestigious awards and remarkable designs whose boldness in form and colour never compromised wearability.
Leo was ‘a wonderfully original designer and an advocate for great craftsmanship!’ remembers Peter Crump, Chairman of the GC&DC. ‘He was truly inspirational.’ The breadth of Leo’s career meant that there was an awful lot to take inspiration from. De Vroomen collaborated with individual craftspeople and businesses like De Beers and Boodles. Leo thrived on the international scene, especially in the US, and was both a masterful salesman and a successful retailer, opening the De Vroomen Gallery in 2002. ‘I think people loved him as much as they loved his jewellery,’ says Managing Director of Boodles Michael Wainwright, ‘his passion and charisma rubbed off on people’.
Leo wanted others to succeed just as he had. He gave his time freely to the Goldsmiths’ Centre, and to Company initiatives aimed at business development, such as Elevate. Michael, a long time friend, sums up what he meant to so many ‘Leo had extremely high standards. He was a pioneer, but above all, a great friend to many of us in the trade and you never had a dull moment in his company’.
Celebrating the jewellery of Leo de Vroomen
Written by Dr. Dora Thornton, Head Curator of the Goldsmiths’ Company Collection
‘Jewellery as an art form still has to be wearable and is therefore inextricably bound to design and craft’. Leo de Vroomen’s words show how he and his wife, Ginnie de Vroomen, worked in a very special creative partnership to produce contemporary jewellery inspired by the human body. In addition to design finesse, there was never any doubt about the technical skills used to create De Vroomen pieces. Leo trained many goldsmiths, appreciated the work of specialists, and was dedicated to keeping skills alive. He excelled especially in the art of repoussé—shaping sheet metal with a hammer and punch to give 18 carat gold a tactile softness and bloom. He used the technique as a rich foil to carefully-chosen gemstones, often superb cabochons in unusual colours. Or he combined it with superb basse-taille enamel to Ginnie’s colourful and subtle designs for which De Vroomen was so well-known. The couple worked to commission and had a special talent for enhancing the wearer through their pieces, helping a client work out what would really suit their style; their way of living. A necklace of hammered gold squares designed and made for the cook Prue Leith is a case in point: photographs show that it looks marvellous worn with a T-shirt in her kitchen as an integral element of her distinctive look and personality.
Brooch and hairpiece, 18ct gold, diamond, enamel, sapphire, 1990, designed by Ginnie De Vroomen, made by Leo De Vroomen. Photograph by Richard Valencia.
Leo loved to see his pieces in the Goldsmiths’ Company Collection worn at events in the Hall. Outstanding was the brooch from 2003 which we commissioned from Leo and Ginnie to exemplify their skills. Exquisitely made, the brooch’s painterly free-flowing design is Ginnie’s. The subtle textures and colours of the enamelling results from the “flinking” or carving of the ground by a specialist craftsman before the enamels are applied and then fired in the basse taille technique. The brooch shows how Leo de Vroomen gave new life to the ancient art of repoussé, shaping gold sheet with hammers and punches while it is supported on a bed of hot pitch. The result is sculptural form which is light and therefore wearable, as the technique exploits the special malleable qualities of gold. In 2021 Leo and Ginnie de Vroomen generously presented the Company with their original designs for the piece so that I could include it in my book, The Brooch Unpinned. Leo de Vroomen commented: “The spiral is one of De Vroomen’s favourite forms. It has many associations from ancient fossils to beautiful shells…” [i]He added: ‘I don’t know of anything that is truly still; everything is spinning from the smallest atoms to the largest galaxies. Spirals encapsulate this energy and have always fascinated me, both visually and as symbols of growth and evolution. So much around us contains them, shells, whirlpools, cyclones, a fern’s fresh tendrils, even our own DNA .’
Brooch, 18ct gold, enamel, diamond, 2003, designed by Ginnie de Vroomen, made by Leo de Vroomen. Photograph by Richard Valencia.
Leo de Vroomen was characteristically relaxed as to how this particular brooch should be worn: “You can park a brooch anywhere, providing it is worn on plain clothes, and the colour does not clash.” He was however in no doubt as to the impact of his pieces: “Our jewellery is not for the faint-hearted…People will find it impossible not to look at your brooch and some might ask you questions.” The natural directness of that statement suggests the zing and vitality which his presence brought to any occasion.
The Company’s brooch also shows a debt to ancient jewellery: Dr Sue Brunning, Curator of Early Medieval European Collections at the British Museum, comments that it reminds her of the terminal of an Iron Age gold torc. That is high praise, which underlines the status and craftsmanship of De Vroomen jewels. They would not look out of place in a world-class museum collection; a quality recognized by international collectors.
In 2022, Ginnie gave an exceptional gift to the Collection of the Aurum bangle, designed by her and made by Leo for her to wear in 1982. It is a dramatic, wearable sculpture which harmoniously integrates colour and form. Leo traced his wife’s design onto 18 carat gold sheet, supported on pitch, and then worked and shaped it with hammer and punches. He cut excess metal away and soldered a round gold wire onto the edges of the repoussé design. The settings for the cabochon sapphires were soldered into place and the sapphires set before the piece was polished to accentuate the design with its soft, flowing lines. This bangle was the highlight of the 2017 exhibition at Goldsmiths’ Hall dedicated to Ginnie’s and Leo’s partnership over five decades of creativity. That made it a very special gift, with its accompanying design drawings and a detailed account of how the piece was made.
Aurum bangle, 18ct repousse yellow gold, cabochon sapphire, 1982, designed by Ginnie de Vroomen, made by Leo de Vroomen. Photograph by Richard Valencia.
Aurum bangle, 18ct repousse yellow gold, cabochon sapphire, 1982, designed by Ginnie de Vroomen, made by Leo de Vroomen. Photograph by Richard Valencia.
The exhibition book is a lasting legacy of the exhibition and of Ginnie’s and Leo’s joint achievement. It is constantly referred to by makers and students alike. Leo was always a great supporter of the Collection and the work we do with it — our exhibitions and publications, and the teaching we do with our pieces — as he was also of the educational work of the Centre. We will miss him very much both as a distinguished goldsmith and jeweller and as a great supporter of the Company's values and purpose.