The Kochut brothers’ jewelry looks like it’s from an ancient Viking hoard, a long-forgotten cache buried by one of the bands of Norsemen, raiders, mercenaries and traders, that roamed from the Baltic to Byzantium a millennium or more ago.
But none of these bejeweled silver bands, pendants or earrings is more than five years old – that’s how long the trio of brothers, Yuriy, Roman and Ihor, have been creating designer jewelry in their studio in Uzhgorod, a city 800 kilometers to the west of Kyiv.
A love of history influences the brothers, aged 21 to 27, who sell their custom-made creations under the brand Kochut Handcrafted Jewelry. They find inspiration for their jewelry designs from Slavic pagan and Celtic culture, and jewelry from Medieval and Renaissance times.
Before going into jewelry design, the Kochuts were woodworkers, carving figurines and candleholders. Then they went through an armor-making period: the three brothers indulged their love of history through taking part in historical reenactments, so they forged armor for themselves.
Brotherly team
“We’ve always liked to make stuff,” says the eldest brother, Yuriy Kochut.
Designing jewelry was the logical next step in their creative development.
The trio works as a team: there is no set distribution of duties — they are led by inspiration, and each lends his particular talents at every stage of the creation of their jewelry.
“One of us creates the design and starts the item, another brother gives advice, and the third one finishes the work,” says Yuriy.
The young jewelers can work on each ring, bracelet or pendant for several months, working on several items at once. The time spent on each piece depends on the choice of gemstone and on which direction their imagination leads them.
The silver band “Leviathan” designed by gold and tanzanite, by the Kochut Handcrafted Jewelry.
“But when a client wants to get an item quickly, we can make it in a few days,” says Yuriy.
It all begins with the gemstone.
“I take it in my hands and decide how to use it,” says Yuriy.
The brothers buy up various gemstones, including tourmalines, diamonds, rubies, and smoky quartz. They purchase rare stones like watermelon tourmaline at auctions abroad or through intermediaries in Ukraine. Sometimes clients bring their own loose gemstones to have made into jewelry.
“One client bought a precious stone while on vacation in Thailand and wanted to do something with it. Others take the stones out of old and dull jewelry and want to give them a second life,” says Yuriy.
The brothers say that each of their items is unique, as they have no interest in repeating their work. They say that this is their form of protest against mass-produced jewelry.
“Nothing we see in the shops really inspires us,” says Yuriy, referring to the selection of standard designs found in most Ukrainian jewelry stores.
Artisanal production
According to the Ukrainian Market of Gemstones website, there are more than 100 jewelry manufacturers in Ukraine. Each one produces more than 2,000 jewelry items yearly.
In comparison, the Kochut brothers have made only about 400 items over five years. That’s enough to live on, say the brothers, who also make a small profit from performing in fire shows.
“I can’t complain,” says Yuriy. “Our prices start from Hr 1,200 ($48). But when a client brings a gemstone worth $2,000, the final price can be $3,000.”
The brothers sell their works on the Kochut Handcrafted Jewelry Facebook page and their website.
Among the items that gained most attention are their “Dignity” silver ring set with an amethyst and decorated with golden leaves, and their “Forest Fairy” set of a ring and earrings in the forms of tiny silver twigs encrusted with emeralds.
From left Ihor Kochut, Yuriy Kochut and Roman Kochut pose for a group photo (Yuriy Kochut Facebook)
The brothers can boast some famous Ukrainians among their clients. They sold wedding rings to Nadia Dorofeyeva, the lead singer of the pop band Vremya I Steklo, and gave a ring as a present to Slava Kaminska from the pop duo New Angels (former NeAngely), when she stopped by their studio.
Ukrainian fans of the French singer Isabelle Geffroy, who is better known as Zaz, ordered a pendant for her.
“Later she even wore it at one of her shows,” says Yuriy.
And last year, the brothers designed a crown for the winner of Miss Zakarpattya 2015, a local beauty pageant. On their official website, the Kochuts claimed that while creating the crown, encrusted with 755 gemstones, they were inspired by the nature of the Carpathian Mountains and tried to represent the region’s rivers, pine trees and mountains in the crown.
Examples of the Kochut brothers’ work can be seen on their website, kochut.org.
