Grasp craftsman Hugo Kohl brings new life to classic jewellery kinds.
Most days, Hugo Kohl may be present in his Harrisonburg workshop and boutique, doing what he loves: creating genuine, vintage-style jewellery.
Kohl’s story started in 1993 when he visited Windfall, Rhode Island, the historic middle of Industrial Age jewellery manufacturing. Right here, his path took an fascinating flip. Whereas chatting with a seller within the metropolis’s Jewellery District, Kohl observed employees loading containers right into a dump truck. When one of many containers broke open, spilling items onto the bottom, he wasn’t positive what he was , however he had a hunch these items would someway play an vital position in his future.
Kohl then did what any artist following a inventive hunch would do: He excused himself, hopped in his automotive, and finally managed to flag down the dump truck driver to barter the acquisition of the mysterious field of scrap.
Then he immersed himself in figuring out the items he’d rescued and researched how they may have been used prior to now. Seems, the field was stuffed with “hubs,” some relationship from the 1800s. Hubs, he found, served as a mildew for die-struck Cabinets of hubs at Hugo Kohl Jewellery in Harrisonburg. jewellery. To create a chunk utilizing a hub, a jewellery craftsman would hammer a skinny sheet of gold—or different metallic—onto the hub to create the design.
Over the previous 30 years, Kohl hasn’t strayed from the inventive imaginative and prescient that crystallized that day in Windfall. Along with utilizing his assortment of historic items in his personal jewellery making, Kohl continues to gather vintage manufacturing elements and instruments. His vault now accommodates 1000’s of hand-engraved hubs, dies, and rolls.
At his Harrisonburg boutique and workshop, Kohl affords a big selection of genuine classic replication jewellery in ornamental kinds spanning the centuries, from Artwork Nouveau to mid-century fashionable. He additionally affords customized jewellery design and restore providers.
Kohl and his workforce of extremely expert craftspeople work intently with clients to create one-of-a-kind items, which frequently characteristic delicate filigree and interval particulars wealthy with symbolism. Working with ethically sourced and conflict-free silver, gold, and platinum, in addition to treasured and semi-precious stones, his work is priced to enchantment to jewellery connoisseurs of all budgets. HugoKohl.com
