Juhls Silvergallery: Timeless jewellery from the unique environment of the Arctic

By Maria Sødal Vole

Dating back to 1959, Juhls was Finnmark’s first silver jewellery workshop, initially focused on repairing traditional Sami pieces. In this remote part of Norway, the wild and wonderful nature has provided a wealth of inspiration for unique, handcrafted designs.

Located in the Sami village of Kautokeino on Norway’s vast Finnmarksvidda plateau, Juhls was established by Frank and Regine Juhls. Due to the nomadic nature of the Sami culture, jewellery was a prized possession – valuable, portable and important heritage pieces. At the encouragement of locals in this isolated area, the couple trained as goldsmiths and began restoring old and historic jewellery as well as designing new pieces.

Juhls Silvergallery: Timeless jewellery from the unique environment of the Arctic

The artist Regine Juhls pictured in the 1960s. Photo: Juhls Silvergallery

While uplifting traditional and developing new designs for Sami clothing has always been important to the Juhls, Regine felt inspiration pulling her in a different direction. Fascinated by the powerful and unique Arctic environment, she drew the beauty and raw contrasts of nature into the world of jewellery design.

Regine’s Tundra collection became an icon of Nordic design, her pieces characterised by a timeless expression and fine craftsmanship. She was one of the first Norwegian jewellery designers to pave the way towards a more organic, abstract style. “Her pieces are modern classics – they’ve endured and maintained their relevance through decades and trends,” says her daughter, Sunniva Juhls.

Photo: Jarle Hvidsten

Sunniva runs the gallery with an international team of eight goldsmiths, all handpicked for their competency and experience. Alongside taking pride in the quality of craftsmanship, the main values upheld by the team are sustainability, durability and ethical production. Every piece is created at the Juhls workshop. “We can proudly say that all of our designs are made here, in the far north, with great respect for craft traditions. Unfortunately, places like ours are becoming rare,” says Sunniva.

She is concerned about the common practice of outsourcing production to low-cost countries where working conditions may be poor, calling for greater transparency in production processes in the jewellery industry. “Products are imported and branded as “Norwegian-made” or “Scandinavian design” with no questions asked as to who made them, where and under what conditions,” she explains.

Juhls Silvergallery is a tourist attraction in the area, with visitors welcome to explore the workshop and gallery – and to see the artist at work. Regine just celebrated her 85th birthday and although she’s still making jewellery, her main focus is completing a mosaic on the gallery wall – an expansive piece spanning many years. “The mosaic is a continuation of her creative work in jewellery,” Sunniva adds. “This house is a life’s work in itself with its unique architecture and special atmosphere.”