Olaf Skoogfors was not a brand, but his name is associated with the history of jewelry making. Olaf Skoogfors (1930–1975) was an American jeweler, artist, and educator whose work helped to establish the studio jewelry movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
Olaf Skoogfors Biography
Olaf Skoogfors was born in Sweden, but moved to the United States with his family at an early age. He studied art at the Philadelphia Museum School of Art and the School of American Craftsmen in Rochester, New York.
In 1957, Skoogfors returned to Philadelphia and opened his first studio. In 1961, he began teaching at the Philadelphia College of Art, and in 1969, he became the chair of the crafts department and an associate professor.
In 1969, Skogfors became a founding member of the Society of North American Jewelers (SNAG).
On December 21, 1975, Skogfors died of a heart attack at his home at the age of 45. Many of his works are in the collections of museums, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Style and Technique
Olaf Skogfors rejected traditional jewelry forms and precious materials, drawing inspiration from modern art movements such as abstraction, kineticism, and biomorphism.
Skogfors used lost-wax casting, fusing, mesh, and embossing techniques in his work. He often created jewelry inspired by natural forms, landscapes, or the sensual forms of the human body.
Most of Skogfors’ pieces were made in silver or silver-plated gold, and he used gold only on special orders.
