Hands That Shape Stone: Mikkel Brøgger’s Training and Craft

There is a difference between designing jewelry and making it.

Mikkel Brøgger does both, with a precision, patience, and philosophy that few can match.

Before the necklaces. Before the pearls. Before even the first pair of his now-iconic earrings, there was a deep education in the materials themselves. Mikkel trained at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), where he studied not just design but the anatomy of stones: how they form, fracture, and reflect light. This foundation, rooted in lapidary science, continues to inform everything he creates.

Unlike many designers who rely on factory-cut or mass-produced beads, Mikkel personally hand-cuts or selects each stone in his collection. Not to make them perfect, but to preserve their natural expression. His goal is not uniformity, but individuality. A slight asymmetry. A soft edge. A gleam that isn’t polished into brilliance, but revealed through restraint.

From Training to Intuition

Years spent apprenticing in silver- and goldsmithing studios taught him the value of slowness — of letting the material dictate the rhythm. And it shows: in the subtle pairing of color and shape, in the quiet tension between roughness and refinement, in the sculptural closures that hold everything together without ever distracting.

His gemstone necklaces may appear effortless, but they are anything but casual. Every strand is a composition of choices, informed by technique, but guided by intuition.

A Tradition Reimagined

Mikkel’s background bridges the precision of formal training and the sensibility of an artist. The result is a body of work that feels both rooted and new. These are not trend-driven pieces. They are expressions of place, touch, and time.

To wear one of his necklaces is to carry the imprint of that craft — and to take part in a tradition that spans centuries, yet still feels personal.

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