Arthur King fine jewelry

Arthur King fine jewelry
Born in New York in 1921, Arthur Henry King was a self-taught jeweler who favored free form over “correct” classical design. A World War II veteran, King learned the lost art of wax casting while working on scrap metal abroad. It was there that he decided to connect his life with jewelry, making the first piece of jewelry from metal and sharks’teeth. After leaving the Navy, Arthur King returned to his native New York, where he opened his shop on 4th Street in Greenwich Village in the 1950s. Due to the popularity of his products, the business expanded with increased sales in major department stores and boutiques both in the US and European capitals. Already in the 1960s, he had about twenty jewelry boutiques with beautiful interiors.
Initially working in brass and silver, he later began using gold and palladium. Alongside rough organically shaped semi-precious stones he began using diamonds and other precious gems. His innovative freeform styles included organic materials, such as ivory, corals, and his favorite pearls. Noteworthy, during his travel to Thailand, Myanmar, and India he used to hunt for pearls himself engaged in deep-sea diving. Also, he was a collector of antiques, from medieval surgical instruments to ancient keys and locks.
Along with women’s brooches, necklaces and pendants, King created men’s jewelry collections. Greatly influenced by abstract painters of the 1950s and ‘60s, King sculpted his work, and was called a sculptor in gold. However, after sculpting and casting, he destroyed the mold, wanting each piece to be unique.
Arthur King died in 1991, and his manufacture and remaining shops ceased to exist.

Arthur King fine jewelry