The jewelry archeologist
May 2, 2021
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On a summer vacation in 1995, in Providence, Rhode Island, Hugo Kohl noticed an intriguing item on a local tourist map. A pictorial inset, blown up to highlight a piece of the city s historical center, read Providence Jewelry District. Kohl happened to have been working in the jewelry business at the time, as a goldsmith back in Harrisonburg, Virginia. With his wife and daughter out shopping on the town, Kohl hopped in his car. Once he reached the Jewelry District, he discovered⦠nothing: just some dilapidated old factories and run-down warehouses. Something, he thought, is not adding up.