Local Marksman Targets Jewelry Biz

Hot Caliber founder Manos Phoundoulakis is having a blast making jewelry…literally.

Forged of flattened bullets, his finely crafted jewelry, which range from pendants to key chains and cuff links, incorporate metals hand-shot out of a magnum.

“The flattened bullet is an anomaly, as most bullets will disintegrate upon contact with a hard surface,” the Westwood resident writes on his website. "Hot Caliber has found a method to create the necessary velocity, weight, shape, and angle needed so that upon hitting a target the bullet reaches molten temperatures and melts, crushes and cools into the flattened bullet."

The actual bullet is not a part of the final product, but provides the template. A mold is made from said bullet to create the silver- and gold-laden pieces. Customers who buy Hot Caliber product receive their purchases in classy gift boxes. All Hot Caliber products are made in the U.S.A.

A Westwood resident, Phoundoulakis , of Greek heritage, grew up, he said, “in New England, very close to Providence, Rhode Island. My family was in the costume jewelry business manufacturing locally in Rhode Island and selling to the United States and abroad. Though I entered Syracuse University for Mechanical Engineering, I finished Syracuse with a BFA in Sculpture.”

Following graduation, Phoundoulakis moved to New York to pursue his dream. He took on work as a jewelry sales representative.

“I later started my own importing business and became a U.S. distributor for high-end designer jewelry,” he told Patch. “I still distribute some Italian product here, but most of my energy is spent developing new business for a U.S.-based fine jewelry company from Orange County. Well, that is until the concept for Hot Caliber was dreamt up.”

At HotCaliber.com, the sterling, silver-framed necklace pendants fashioned out of bullet contours bear action-packed, almost military names such as “The Hammer,” “The Stealth,” “The Impact,” and “The Renegade.”

So how did it come to pass that this relatively mild-mannered gentleman began using a firearm as his chisel?

“The idea came about when I came home from a four-day intensive handgun training course,” he said. “I had picked up a flattened bullet on the range and brought it home to show it to my wife. It reminded her of an ancient coin and she suggested I set it in a pendant as a memento.

“I instantly thought it was a brilliant idea, saw the marketability, and had it set in a pendant right away.  After wearing it around, I was getting an amazing response from friends and also from strangers. I realized that with some tweaking it could be a stunning product with great potential in the sportsman market.

“Also, it felt right to get back to using my creative side for something other than business development.”

The more Phoundoulakis ran with the idea, the more ideas he ran into.

“I have since learned to set diamonds, solder, and finish jewelry, though I already had skills for shaping metal, and lost wax casting from my sculpture days,” he said. “It is very gratifying to come up with an idea and make it with your own hands.”

When not focused on work, Phoundoulakis and his Westside-raised wife Kelle (pronounced “Kelly”), a real estate agent with Keller Williams Realty, enjoy the Westwood life.

“Westwood is a fun place to live,” the jewelry-maker said. “Centrally located, we can get anywhere around town in minutes. But there are quite a few places in the Village that we like to walk to. The coffee at Profeta has fantastic espresso. We also like The Novel Cafe and Fresh Corn Grill for lunch. And of course, there is a movie theater on practically every corner, so we take advantage of that convenience, too.”

With the area’s college culture, Westwood also provides the perfect mix of potential customers.

What’s interesting about the jewelry is that, if you didn't know beforehand about the gun connection, it might never enter your mind looking at the jewelry. They do not evoke demonic, heavy metal, or faux-Hell’s Angels vibes like the kind of now-cliché skull-and-crossbones type imagery you might find on Melrose. There’s an elegance, even a restraint to the finished product.

“We are finding that the demographic for the jewelry is much broader than we had ever hoped for,” he said. “It includes shooting enthusiasts, but also people who have never even handled a firearm. Our clients are very broad in range; from teenagers to men and women in their 60s.”

When all is said, shot and done, Phoundoulakis started his Hot Caliber line relatively recently.

“Our soft launch was in October 2010, and we are currently figuring out the details of what our marketing strategy will be,” he said. “We have several fine jewelry retailers carrying our pieces that are all performing, and have signed up a distributor for sales to the outdoorsman market. They also manufacture in the U.S. (bags, embroidered product, holsters and more), which fits in line with our manufacturing and work ethics. They will be pursuing some of the better outdoorsman outfitters in all of the U.S. We are also in the process of searching for an ideal distributor to sell to the fashion industry.”

In the meantime, all Hot Caliber pieces are available at HotCaliber.com.