Kevin Potter's Vast Collection Preserves American Jewelry Manufacturing History

Kevin Potter, a 56-year-old jeweler based in Tucson, Arizona, maintains the world's largest collection of artifacts from America's industrial jewelry manufacturing era. His collection, housed in two warehouses, contains approximately 1.2 million hubs and dies—steel tools used to mass-produce jewelry through die-striking techniques. Potter founded Potter USA in 1997, initially operating from his garage. The business now employs 25 people and sells reproduction dies and hydraulic presses to nearly 15,000 hobbyists worldwide, predominantly older women. Potter's collection originated from his efforts to rescue tools from defunct jewelry factories, beginning around 2007-2008 when he learned companies were melting down historical hubs and dies for scrap. He acquired tools from former manufacturing centers including Providence, Rhode Island; New York City; Newark; Attleboro, Massachusetts; and European cities like Paris, Prague, and Helsinki. Providence was historically significant, producing over a quarter of U.S. jewelry by 1880 and employing 32,000 people at its peak in 1978. The industry declined due to competition from Asian manufacturers using cheaper labor and lost-wax casting. Potter's collection includes tools for military medals like the Purple Heart and Silver Star, Olympic medals from the 1932 Winter Games, World Series rings from 1942 and 1946, automotive emblems, and law enforcement badges. His son Vincent, 25, also a jeweler, assists with the collection and runs his own company, Cranston Fancy Wire. Potter aims to preserve knowledge of die-striking techniques, which were traditionally passed down orally, as the industry has shifted to CAD software and CNC machines, and now faces further transformation from AI-generated 3D models.