Evald Nielsen
Evald Nielsen was born in Stubbekøbing on the island of Falster in Denmark in 1879. At 14 he apprenticed with Aug. Fleron in Copenhagen where he learned chasing and engraving. He finished training in 1900 and traveled to Germany, Switzerland and France. In Paris he saw the robust environment for jewelry creation and started crafting jewelry. In 1905 Nielsen left Paris to return to Copenhagen. This is when he started his business. He started first by selling as a "vest pocket" dealer traveling to different shops selling his pieces. He also worked as an engraver for several shops as his designs could not support his life at the time. Within a few years he bought his own workshop and now able to focus on creating jewelry he agreed to exclusively sell his pieces through S. L. Jacobsen. They were set up for such a feat and sold his work in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. With a larger distribution base Nielson needed to craft more jewelry and employed other craftsmen to help. In 1918 he helped plan and teach the first courses for goldsmithing and silversmithing at the Danish Technological Institute. At the same time he was appointed Master of the Goldsmith’s Guild. In 1927 Nielsen’s oldest son, Aage (1902–1986) joined the firm and remained working along side him for ten years until he left to open his own workshop. Nielsen’s second son, Bjarne (1906–1988) completed his training as a chaser in 1929 and started working at the firm. Nielsen died in 1958.
