Henna Kenigsberg, owner of the new boutique
Henna K. Jewelry, has had several professions in her life, including
interior decorator. But it is in jewelry design that she found
her forte. Now she’s extending her talents from making jewelry
to representing other local jewelers in her Cobble Hill store.
In this spacious setting, about a dozen Brooklyn artisans are
"shown in their own space," says Kenigsberg. Most of
these jewelers work in silver and some work in silver and gold.
All have their own styles.
These jewelers make earrings ("a huge business"), rings
("also very big"), bracelets, pins and necklaces –
just about everything you’d expect to find at a jewelry store.
But the primary difference between Henna K. Jewelry and other
shops is that here you’ll find mostly one-of-a-kind and some-of-a-kind
(small runs) pieces that you can wear and "you won’t see
yourself coming and going," as Kenigsberg puts it.
This is especially true of the enamel pins and necklaces set
with semiprecious stones, which are Kenigsberg’s specialty.
"Enamel jewelry is by definition one-of-a-kind," Kenigsberg
explains, "because even if the pieces are the same in design,
the color will be different when they come out of the kiln."
And what color!
"You get an amazing color with enamel," Kenigsberg
tells GO Brooklyn. "The color can be pale or soft or knock
your eyeballs out."
She explains that enamel is glass ground finer than sand and
heated at 1,500 degrees so it becomes a liquid. The liquid is
layered onto glass or copper – a very labor-intensive process.
Kenigsberg works mostly in a technique called cloisonne after
the French word "cloison," which means partition or
wall. Cloisonne jewelry is made by fixing metal strips, bent
to the outlines of a design, to a metal surface with solder.
The resulting cellular spaces, or cloisons, are filled with vitreous
enamel paste, and the piece of jewelry is then fired, ground
smooth and polished.
Kenigsberg first began designing jewelry 15 years ago when she
took a course in making silver jewelry. One day her teacher suggested
she might like working with enamel, and did she ever. Kenigsberg
says she occasionally still goes back to working with silver,
but she prefers enamel, mostly because of the beautiful color
she is able to produce with it.
It was Kenigsberg’s husband who suggested she take the next step
and open her own boutique. On Dec. 18, 2001, Henna K. Jewelry
opened. The jewelers she represents come from all walks of life.
One was a biologist. Another was a day trader with Lehman Brothers.
They make everything from a $15 pair of earrings to a $6,000
silver bracelet with a Japanese river scene that Kenigsberg calls
an "amazing piece of art" – and everything in between.
What’s more, because they are all local artisans, they are available
for custom work.
For the spring and summer, Kenigsberg suggests the light look
of pearls, which can be worn either when you’re dressing up or
down and look great with a tan, or beads that "add a flip
of color to your summer outfit and most are under $100."
Men, women and children throughout the world and throughout the
ages have worn and continue to wear jewelry – in the Arabian
Desert and the Pacific Islands, in New York and New Mexico. The
Babylonians, Sumerians, Hebrews, Egyptians, Greeks, Etruscans
and Romans all made jewelry for both secular and sacred purposes.
And people who design jewelry have always held highly respected
positions in society. Sumerian jewelers had their workshops in
the temple grounds. During the Renaissance, jewelry designs were
made by great artists such as Durer in Germany, and Botticelli,
Ghiberti and Cellini in Italy.
Kenigsberg and the jewelers she represents are showing once again
that Brooklyn deserves nothing less than the best.
Henna K. Jewelry, at 165 Court St. between
Pacific and Dean streets in Cobble Hill, accepts MasterCard,
Visa and American Express and is open Monday through Thursday,
noon to 7 pm, and Sunday, noon to 5 pm. For information, call
(718) 852-5777.
