About Bent Knudsen

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Bent Knudsen was born in 1924 in Kolding, Denmark. As a young man he entered C.M. Cohr’s silversmith workshop in Fredericia, where he learned from experienced craftsmen and gained the solid foundation that would guide his career. Two years after the end of World War II, in 1946, he moved on to the Hans Hansen workshop. That step marked the real start of his growth as a designer, and he would spend the next decade refining a style that favored clean lines and practical beauty.<br><br> Life outside the workshop brought change too. During a stay in Norway, Bent met Anni, who shared his interest in arts and crafts. They married in 1950, beginning both a personal and professional partnership. Early on they experimented with Christmas decorations, intricate handmade pieces that found success not only in Denmark but overseas as well, reaching buyers in the United States and Japan.<br><br> By 1956, the couple decided to create a place of their own. They opened a workshop on Søndergade in Kolding. Here, Bent’s training and Anni’s artistic sense combined in jewelry that was simple, geometric, and carefully balanced. Their designs often featured cabochon stones such as hematite, malachite, topaz, and amethyst, and they stood out for being both striking and wearable.<br><br> The reputation of their work grew steadily. Ginger Moro, author of European Designer Jewelry, later described the Knudsens’ jewelry as an example of minimalist beauty joined with function. In 1973, their reach expanded significantly when the Oxford Jewelry Corporation became the sole distributor of their pieces in the United States.<br><br> The Knudsen workshop eventually closed in the mid-1970s, but the legacy of Bent and Anni didn’t fade with it. Collectors and admirers still seek out their jewelry, drawn to its clarity of form and quiet elegance. Though the workshop doors have long been shut, the designs they created continue to circulate, a lasting reminder of the couple’s vision and craftsmanship.