Every year, the Hemmerle family travels from Munich to London to showcase their breathtaking creations. From the 5th – 9th October, the German jewellery house’s latest pieces – crafted from mammoth tusk, steel, amber and stone – will exhibit at PAD London for the very first time. Set in the heart of Mayfair, PAD is an international art fair that offers an exceptional plethora of museum quality artwork, bespoke furniture and one-of-a-kind jewellery pieces.
In the late-19th Century, the German jewellery house was founded by the first generation of Hemmerle brothers and has since existed in the same beautiful Munich store for over 110 years. Today, Christian Hemmerle runs the business with his wife Yasmin and parents Stefan and Sylveli. The company’s aesthetic has been revolutionary since Stefan set a large diamond into an iron ring for a client in the mid-Nineties and it’s quickly become a world leader in contemporary design, effortlessly straddling the worlds of art and high jewellery.
Next month’s exhibit features a sculptural structure designed by Dutch architect Tom Postma, in collaboration with Hemmerle. Previewed at the TEFAF Maastricht this year, the stand was awarded the prestigious Red Dot Award: Communication Design 2016 for High Design Quality.
Nature is a key element in the overall design process. Copper, pink diamonds, ancient carved jade, antique cameos and walrus tooth are just a few of the rare materials utilised by the family’s artisans. Cuffs of wood are sprinkled with anything from reverse-set sapphires to ruby beads. Christian Hemmerle explains: “We have been setting stones in reverse pavé for over ten years now. In terms of the aesthetic, it gives pieces a very contemporary feel but the setting also adds unexpected depths as light is reflected from many different angles due to the increased exposed surface area. We have spent years perfecting this skill.”
Colour is fundamental at Hemmerle. “Pavé setting is all about creating the perfect surface of colour.” Precious gems and stones are sourced over many years and painstakingly matched to delicate frameworks according to their specific hues.
Hemmerle jewellery can be found in the permanent collections of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and New York’s Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
These Hemmerle earrings are made with Mara Mamba stones, a rare variety of Tiger Eye, and paired with textured brushed bronze. These extremely old stones are found in the Pilbara region in Western Australia and were formed during the early stages of the Earth’s history when there was almost no oxygen in the atmosphere.
These light brown jade disc earrings are set in copper and paired with diamonds. For thousands of years, jade has been treasured as one of the most precious gemstones worldwide, particularly in Chinese history.
