Cigar World's Artisan’s Corner: An Interview with Paul Chrzanowski of Buffalo Bolt Jewelry

Cigar World's Artisan’s Corner: An Interview with Paul Chrzanowski of Buffalo Bolt Jewelry

This month, we wanted to feature a self-made artisan with massive talent. His jewelry is masculine, but beautiful. His designs have been requested and custom-made for some big names in the music industry, and his passion for the art of silversmithing is legendary on its own. Please meet Paul Chrzanowski, the creator, owner, and genius designer behind Buffalo Bolt Jewelry.

Jean: Hey Paul! Thank you for taking the time to chat with us here at Cigar World. We really love your jewelry. 

Paul: Thank you so much! I’m really excited for this!

Jean: So how long have you been creating jewelry and when did you start Buffalo Bolt?

Paul: During the pandemic, I had a lot of down time and needed something to do. Ive always loved turquoise jewelry and jewelry that bikers and musicians wore so I decided to buy some tools and started watching YouTube videos on how to start making rings like the ones Ive seen and loved. 

Jean: Where do you work out of?

Paul: Around the same time, my fiancée and I were looking to buy a house. We found one we loved that had some extra bedrooms so I’ve setup shop when one of those rooms and turned it into my perfect studio!

Jean: Do you work solo on this, or do you have any partners in the business?

Paul: Buffalo Bolt is a one man show. I do all the creating, selling, marketing, shipping and all that. I like it that way. It lets me make sure everything is my vision from start to finish. I do ask for tons of input from my fiancée, she’s the fashion minded one of us, so she always has great ideas. 

Jean: What got you into the jewelry making craft?

Paul: My dad was an artist as his profession and my mother was always singing and playing piano around the house. My grandfather was an engraver and metal smith, so I’ve been around creative people my entire life. Growing up around amazing art and music, I’ve always loved creating. I can’t really sit still. I don’t know how to relax, I must always be doing something, so I knew I’d end up creating and working with my hands. So, when the opportunity came up to do something new, I decided I wanted to create jewelry that I would wear. At the time, it was hard finding men’s jewelry that was just skulls and dark imagery. I wanted something that was masculine but also beautiful.  

Jean: Any special meaning behind the name?

Paul: I’ve always loved buffalos. Growing up in the Midwest, I remember taking car rides and driving by different prairies and farms and seeing buffalos. I loved how big and powerful they were, but they were also majestic creatures that took their time but could wreck you in an instant, haha! I wanted my jewelry to convey that same thing. The “bolt” part, I thought, just sounded cool with it, so yeah, it just kind of stuck.

Jean: What are some of your favorite pieces that you have made? Have you had any VIP customers order custom jewelry?

Paul: The engagement ring I made for my fiancée. I secretly took diamond setting classes so I could hand create it from scratch! she said YES so, I think it worked!

I’ve had the good fortune of meeting some amazing people doing this and having them wear my jewelry. I’ve done some stuff for the guys in Lynyrd Skynyrd and Jelly Roll’s camp. Yelawolf has been a big supporter of what I’m doing. Struggle Jennings has gotten a bunch of pieces for himself and his family.  My buddy Dan, who played guitar for Florida Georgia Line and now plays for Tyler Hubbard, has really been supportive and introduced me to a ton of his peers, and that’s really opened the door for me into the music world. Justin from 3 Doors Down has become a good friend through this. We send each other pics of new stones we’ve got and pieces we’ve been creating. He started silversmithing under Sacred West Vintage and has done some really rad pieces. I never thought I’d become friends with these musicians I’ve listened to for years! It’s crazy! 

Jean: How do you source your materials?

Paul: When I started, I was just getting stones from Etsy and local shops. After doing this for 5 years now, I’ve gotten to know some amazing stone cutters in Nevada, New Mexico, California and other places so now I am always checking out their stuff on Instagram and their sites for some of the most beautiful stones out there. In this business you get to meet a lot of people. It’s a large but small circle so we all sort of share who we get stuff from. 

Jean: and how long does it take to create a typical piece?

Paul: Ummmm, that’s a tough one to answer. I can knock out a ring in a few hours, but sometimes, I’ll start on something and have to set it down for a bit if I don’t like where it's headed. Sometimes, you just have to scrap it and start all over. A typical ring can be done in a day if there’s nothing else on the bench. I do like to take my time to make sure it’s perfect. 

Jean: Which stone is your favorite and favorite to work with?

Paul: Turquoise. I love anything turquoise, specifically Royston, Carico Lake or a nice raw Sleeping Beauty nugget! It really depends on the piece I’m creating. I love working with a raw, unpolished turquoise nugget. There's so much life and beauty in a chunk of turquoise. There's a story in each stone. 

Jean: Do you have any bucket list wishes that you want for Buffalo Bolt?

Paul: Honestly, I want my stuff out there and loved by the person wearing it. I’d love it to keep growing, but I want each piece to be loved and something you can pass down. I’ve been working with gold and diamonds more as well, so I’d love to really get deeper into that side of things. 

Jean: I cannot remember, but do you smoke cigars on occasion? If so, do you recall which have been your favorites?

Paul: I’ve got a box of Padron 3000 that I dig into. To me, they’re a great smoke for a great price for a night on the front porch!

Jean: Do you have any drops coming up that we should know about?

Paul: Right now, I’ve just been doing mainly custom pieces and a ton of pop-ups around Kansas City, so I haven’t really had time to start thinking of a new collection. I think closer to Christmas, I'll have something. Collections are taxing on the soul! you create a bunch of new pieces and stress out if people will love them. there’s a lot of time and love put into each collection, and boy, does it get stressful!!! 

Jean: Awesome! Well, Paul, thank you so much for chatting today. Some of our followers will want to buy some of your gear for the upcoming holiday season. Where can they do that?

Paul: Yeah, for sure! Thank you for this. It’s been really fun chatting with you. You can find me on all social media under BuffaloBoltJewelry, but I mainly use Instagram or BuffaloBoltJewelry.com, where I have a bunch of ready-to-ship stuff. I do a lot of custom work, so anyone can reach out to me on Instagram, and we can start collaborating on a new piece for you!

If you want to see more of Paul’s unique creations or purchase something for yourself, head to buffaloboltjewelry.com and make sure to check out his social media @BuffaloBoltJewelry

All Cigar World members can earn a 20% off discount at checkout with code “Cigar” so make sure to head over to buffaloboltjewelry.com to secure your own piece!

You can also win a custom ring made by Paul! Head to the Cigar World Instagram to learn more!