Charles Krypell Sterling Silver & 18KYG Heart Pendant on Box Chain

Charles Krypell graduated from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY with a degree in fine arts, a specialty in sculpture, and no thought of entering the jewelry business. But shortly after graduation and in need of a job, he answered a newspaper ad from a jeweler looking for help with wax models. Charles enjoyed this work, fell in love with jewelry-making, and within a year opened his own business on a shoestring and, in his own words, "never looked back."

Today, after a quarter-century of designing fine jewelry, Charles Krypell is something of an institution. Asked who his mentor was, he replies, "No one. That is why my jewelry is so different. I was not influenced by traditionalists in jewelry. There was no one to tell me not to do this or that." But his own perception of form and style, and his background in the dimensionality of sculpture, have given his work a recognizable uniqueness. His pieces are infused with energy, form, movement, and depth.

He describes his jewelry as "wearable, sculptural, colorful. It moves, modulates." Charles considers his work particularly well suited for the male buyer. Men who purchase jewelry, he says, are creatures of habit. They love to buy for that special person, but they hate to search. Anxious about selecting just the right gift, such men find Krypell jewelry an easy choice for now–and the future–because Krypell styles, while contemporary enough to attract the sophisticated buyer of today, are traditional enough to be worn for generations.