The Kalo Shop
pendant necklace
Chicago, Illinois
sterling silver, freshwater pearls
stamped marks
pendant: 1"w x 2 1/8"h; chain: 16 1/2"l

Provenance:
The Paul and Terry Somerson Collection of 20th & 21st Century Metalwork and Jewelry

Literature:
Berberian, Rosalie, Creating Beauty: Jewelry and Enamels of the American Arts & Crafts Movement, Schiffer Publishing, 2019, p. 116 (illustrated)

Please contact Toomey & Co. Auctioneers for a detailed condition report - info@toomeyco.com or (708)-383-5234.

Biography:
Founded in Chicago in 1900 by Clara P. Barck and five fellow female graduates of Louis J. Millet's decorative design course at the Art Institute, the Kalo Shop rose to be the most important American Arts and Crafts silversmith studio in the United States. From Millet, the shop adopted the motto "beautiful, useful, and enduring" for their wares. In addition to jewelry, the shop produced works in burnt wood, leather, and other types of decorative arts. In 1905, Barck married George Welles, a coal merchant and amateur silversmith, who encouraged Barck to focus more on copper and silver objects. The following year, Barck's sister purchased a large home in Park Ridge, Illinois, which became the central location for the Kalo Arts and Crafts Community. Along with hiring various male silversmiths, Barck created a school for female designers and artisans who came to be known as the "Kalo Girls." In 1912, Barck opened a Kalo branch in New York that lasted until 1916. All silversmiths were required to mark pieces they produced during business hours with the Kalo stamp. They were also allowed to create work on their own time as long as they did not mark it with the stamp. Many copper, silver, and gold pieces still exist that were undoubtedly made by a Kalo silversmith but are unmarked. Some noted Kalo silversmiths include: Grant Wood (painter of American Gothic), Matthias Hank, Julius Olaf Randahl, Henri A. Eicher, Yngve Olsson, Kristoffer Haga, Robert R. Bower, and many others. Barck retired in 1939 and moved to San Diego. She gifted the Kalo Shop in 1959 to the four remaining workers: Robert R. Bower, Arne Myhre, Yngve Olsson, and Daniel Pedersen. Increasingly, few new silversmiths entered the trade and the shop closed in 1970 after Olsson passed away. The Kalo Shop was prolific and objects continue to surface all over, but the rarest pieces always demand a premium. Objects with stones, repoussé work, or added decoration are often exquisite and embody the epitome of the ideals of the Arts and Crafts movement.