Hemmerle, a fourth-generation jeweler based in Munich that produces roughly 300 pieces a year, is also becoming highly collectible. So much so that Christian Hemmerle and his wife, Yasmin, who currently run the operation, were trying to diplomatically juggle an overwhelming gaggle of clients at a recent private showing at Plaza Athénée in New York.
“A lot of people ask me how we come up with ideas,” says Hemmerle. “It’s not that we sit and sketch. We try to find the most beautiful colored gems. We try to get inspired from the materials, everything from brass and iron to copper.” One of the firm’s most unusual looks is a patinated copper and aquamarine suite. “He definitely has his own identity and look,” says Siegelson about Christian Hemmerle’s designs.
“We’re very much associated with art collectors,” says Hemmerle, “not showy people and not starlets.”
Joanna Hardy, head of Sotheby’s jewelry department in London, agrees that one of the key benefits of working with art-minded jewelry clients is that they tend to hold their new necklace or brooch in the same high regard as a pricey painting or sculpture. “It’s a synergy that makes sense if someone appreciates art,” she says.
