Continually depicting the natural world, Griegst works on a series of rings in the second half of the 90’s that bring a new and highly articulated language to his ongoing fascination of the ocean. Opposite currents collide in gold crests and troughs, with rubies emulating rosy sunsets or diamonds suspended between rocaille swells – sumptuous symbols of always being carried by the current of life.
The swell of the sea, its rhythmical waves and stormy surge inspires the articulated, concave formations. Their symbolism is undeniable: the dynamic, tempestuous ocean mirrors the ever-changing human condition and fascination with transformation found across Griegst’s work.
The gold look as if he had carved out dimples, as rhythmic, asymmetrical waves in a bulging sea or a crater landscape: ”I wanted to capture the water’s movements and create a stylised image of the complex and contradictory formations that can occur on the surface of water.”
He would later return to the same way of treating the surface in his larger sculptural works. A green emerald is reflected in the gold, a red ruby becomes a crimson sunset, a crude diamond looks like white sea froth. In some rings oriental pearls shimmer, carried by the gold and the golden light.
In 2000, 62-year-old Griegst wins the Copenhagen Goldsmiths’ Guild’s anonymous ‘Silver on the Edge’ competition ahead of much younger designers with Wave, a silver jug of crashing waves caught in a moment of perfect harmonious disharmony. While the hyper-decorative, handleless piece looks seemingly impossible to use, its concave surfaces allow a perfect grip, making it a masterpiece of subtly ironic commentary on Scandinavian functionalism.