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06/29/2016 08:30 AMVery few things in life hold as much sentiment as a piece of jewelry. It can show love, commitment, or a desperate plea for forgiveness. For some, it’s a treasured token. For Peter Indorf, it’s his life purpose.
After 44 years of working in the jewelry business, the man behind Peter Indorf Jewelers in Madison will be closing his store to make a permanent move to Florida.
“We’re excited about new beginnings,” he says.
The closing of his Madison store comes two years after the closing of his New Haven location, which was the longest-serving storefront for his business.
The start for this boutique jeweler may be surprising. Peter discovered his passion for jewelry at a young age while living on a hippie commune in California during the late 1960s.
“A friend of mine showed me some of the basics and I just took off,” he says. “I started buying tools and silver and stones, and I taught myself how to do everything and I started making it. I would find stores to buy it and I would go run back to the supply store and buy some more silver and stones and make more stuff and just keep doing that over and over again.”
One of his workshops during that time was in an abandoned International Harvester truck, in which he also lived with a potbelly stove.
“You can’t describe what it was like then,” he says. “That was my humble beginnings.”
Originally from Meriden, Peter began working in silver factories after his return from California. During this time, he also sold his jewelry to Old Ways in New Haven, where he was eventually asked to be a resident jeweler. After a few years, he decided that he wanted to go into business for himself and opened a small shop on Park Street.
His store eventually moved to Chapel Street, where it would continue for decades.
“Most people remember me from that time period,” he says.
Peter’s Madison location opened in August 2001, just before the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept. 11.
“We didn’t do any business for three months,” he says. “People were so bummed about everything. People were just scared and nobody was buying nothing.”
The business also survived the most recent recession and sidewalk construction that has been challenging businesses in downtown Madison over the past year.
Despite these hurdles, Peter’s store still managed to flourish.
Most of the jewelry sold at his store are original designs, but he also has pieces from other artists.
“It’s nice to have the authentic, handmade stuff,” Peter says.
He also works with clients to design one-of-a-kind jewelry.
“I find most people don’t know what they want, that’s why they come to me,” says Peter.
One of the most memorable designs he made for a client was a recreation of a Cracker Jack box ring with which the client had originally used to propose to his fiancé.
“I always feel like my mission in life is to help people share their love for each other by creating beautiful things that they can give that expresses their love. That is really what gets me up every day,” Peter says. “Jewelry is very emotional. Sometimes I have people in here who are crying. It’s all raw emotion, but it’s very rewarding on a lot of levels.”
For Peter, jewelry holds both historical and aesthetic value.
“We always try to make quality jewelry that’s going to last,” says Peter. “Once [people] die, a lot of history gets lost, and the jewelry is a really interesting artifact from their life. And it doesn’t deteriorate.”
Peter is also unique in that he is one of only 500 certified gemologist appraisers in North America. His store also has an accredited gem lab.
Recently, Peter has been running the business remotely from Florida where he lives with his wife, Patricia, who also has a passion for jewelry. She has worked for his business as a management consultant since 2014. The two were married in 2015.
“It’s been fun finally meeting my soul mate.”
Patricia wears four wedding bands, which Peter designed.
“She just likes rings,” he says jokingly. “She was insatiable.”
Although Peter is closing his store, he still plans to design and sell jewelry in Florida.
“I’m going to keep going,” he says. “I want to use the time in Florida now to really kind of get back to my roots. We want to get back into the art side of jewelry.”
Peter still plans to keep his website and stay connected with clients via Facetime and other technologies. He also plans to sell his jewelry at festivals, however he is still figuring out what retirement will look like for him exactly.
“I really just want to sit at a bench and make jewelry,” says Peter.
Peter Indorf Jewelers, located at 703 Boston Post Road in Madison, will be holding a Store Closing and Retirement Sale through Aug. 6. For more information, call 203-245-5700 or visit www.peterindorf.com.