Philip Paval (born in Denmark) studied gold and silversmithing at his country’s Technical School of Art. As a teenager, he worked under Danish silversmith Simon Schulz before moving to the United States in 1919.
After working as a merchant mariner in New York, Paval moved to California in the 1920s and opened a silversmithing workshop in Los Angeles. In addition to silver, Paval created jewelry and other objects in gold, copper, and brass.
Most of his pieces were in the Art Nouveau style and were sold in galleries, including the Beverly Hills Hotel Gallery.
In 1968, Paval published an autobiography titled Paval: The Autobiography of a Hollywood Artist. He continued to live and work in the Los Angeles area until his death in 1971.
Paval’s jewelry is marked with his name, PavaL. Some items may have a P/P stamp, which indicates the metal content (often silver).
