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It is appropriate that the headquarters of H. Stern and Company is in Rio de Janeiro. The colors of the gems it proffers are reminiscent of the colors of Rio itself, its sunrises and sunsets, its lucid tropical waters at Ipanema and Copacabana, its flora in the nearby Tijuca rainforest, its parti-colored ices and sorbets (pitanga, tamarindo and jabuticaba) and its dazzling nighttime sky evocative of the poem “The Starlight Night” by Gerard Manley Hopkins:
Look at the stars! Look, look up at the skies!
O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air!
The bright boroughs, the circle citadels there!
Down in the woods the diamond delves!
The elves’-eyes!
The grey lawns cold where gold,
where quick gold lies!
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The poem might have been inspired by a visit to the H. Stern Workshop and Gemstone Museum at the company’s world headquarters. Stern means star in German, and Stern’s jewelry is all adorned with its signature stars. I’m not sure when I first became aware of this exquisitely designed jewelry. It may have been at a party in Beverly Hills when a lovely blonde actress showed me a golden ring whose inner surface exhibited a constellation of tiny stars—or at another party in San Francisco when my eye was drawn by a male guest’s sapphire watch, its gems part of an eye- catching medley of glittering gold and stainless steel.
I could not have imagined then that I would one day find myself touring H. Stern’s headquarters in Rio. The 15-story building is in Ipanema with a clear view of one of Rio’s colossal rocky and cloud-topped mountains. This is where, in addition to jewelry on display for sale, are located Stern’s workshops, technical and art departments, quality control administration and personnel departments. Today H. Stern has more than 335 sales outlets in more than 30 countries—all the result of Hans Stern’s $200 investment in 1945 and his insight that colored gems such as aquamarines, topazes, amethysts, and tourmalines could compete in popularity with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. It was an insight that anticipated a new generation’s taste in jewelry.
Today H. Stern has more than 335 sales outlets in more than 30 countries—all the result of Hans Stern’s $200 investment in 1945 and his insight that colored gems such as aquamarines, topazes, amethysts, and tourmalines could compete in popularity with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds.
The Workshop Tour reminded me of scenes in The Wizard of Oz in which Dorothy and her companions have just been welcomed into the Emerald City and are being given VIP treatment by guides showing them the metropolis. The headquarters building houses a workshop, a museum with more than 1000 stones on display and a store that contains a cutting and polishing factory. Customers are shown merchandise over cafezinho, small cups of zesty Brazilian coffee. Both the tour and the museum are free, and more than 10,000 visitors a month watch as a rough stone is turned into a radiant jewel with signature design. The tour features elements of creation and design, cutting, polishing, gold working, gem classification, and setting. The list of celebrities who have visited here upstages the guest list for Truman Capote’s legendary masked ball, including an extraordinary variety of kings and queens, princes and princesses, musicians, movie stars, writers and sports celebrities.
A closer look at some of Stern’s gems will make clear their increasing appeal over the years.
A closer look at some of Stern’s gems will make clear their increasing appeal over the years. Ninety per cent of all aquamarines come from Brazil, and the word’s meaning, “from the sea,” is dramatized by the aquamarine’s 35 shades of blue from the clearest sea and sky blues through vivid and intense shades of indigo and ultramarine. The topaz, which Egyptians associated with their sun god Ra, steals the fire of the Brazilian sun and dazzles the eye with shades that range from pink and peach to incandescent red and yellow. Tanzanite expresses bravura nuances of blue that seem almost mystical. Tourmalines upstage the rainbow with more than 1000 hues, making them a favorite of artists. The citrine, with its shades ranging from yellow to honey, has a reputation for representing money and prosperity. The amethyst, traditionally thought to serve as a link with the spiritual world, is a study in contrasting shades of violet and purple.
The evolution of design in Stern’s World Collection over the years has been guided by five creative concepts. These are self-gratification, expressed in the individual’s knowledge of a piece’s little secrets such as the signature of stars or a detachable element; versatility, with jewels that suit different lifestyles and varied occasions; signature (those tell-tale stars that signify a jewel as an H. Stern World Collection piece); comfort, which is self-explanatory; and design, the nature of a piece’s form. Among H. Stern’s recent collections to appear at
Baselworld 2008 are Celtic Dunes, Hera, and Golden Stones. The Celtic Dunes pieces are
distinguished by interconnected Celtic tribal symbols; the cut-out earrings, rings, and cuff bracelets give an impression of infinite
sand dunes in textured 18k yellow gold. The Hera collection, a tribute to the gods and goddesses
of Greek mythology, emphasizes in its design the leaf crowns worn on Mt. Olympus. And the Golden Stones collection,
which is characterized by the organic shapes of pebbles found in riverbeds, features a limited edition series whose new entries—two styles of earrings, ring and pendant—are made of 18k Noble Gold pavé-set with black diamonds. In addition, a lively collaboration has led to a variety of jeweled watches in the Diane von Furstenberg by H. Stern Watch Collection. There also are Diane von Furstenberg charm bracelets, chains, and earrings adorned with new talismans.
H. Stern continues to be adventurous and innovative, with the recent additions showing multicultural and transhistorical influences from Indian, Portuguese, Celtic and Greek to medieval and 17th century France. All that glitters here is definitely gold, with a sparkle that comes from gems whose colors and brilliance surpass the stars.
Credits
by Larry Tritten
photos courtesy of H. Stern
