Brooch

Considered one of the founders of the modern American craft movement, Olaf Skoogfors was born in Bredsjo, Sweden in 1930 and moved with his family to the United States just four years later. He was trained at the Philadelphia College of Art and at the School for American Craftsmen at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Following his studies, Skoogfors opened a small shop in Philadelphia, which quickly gained him recognition. In 1959 he became a faculty member at the Philadelphia College of Art. By the time of his early death in 1975 at the age of 45, he had exhibited in scores of national and international exhibitions and was the recipient of many awards.

The majority of Skoogfors work was executed in silver or gold-plated silver. Only special commissions were worked by him in gold. This brooch was commissioned by Paul Silverman for his wife, Hilda Bernstein Silverman. In his characteristic manner, Skoogfors worked with the emerald Silverman provided, seeking just the right arrangement into which to set it.