Tatler+ Hemmerle
The secrets of Hemmerle jewellery’s one-of-a-kind creations have been passed down for four generations
The year is 1893. Thomas Edison constructs the world’s first motion picture studio in the United States. New Zealand grants women the right to vote. In Japan, Mikimoto Kōkichi cultivates the first cultured pearl. And in a quiet corner of Bavaria, history is made for another reason: brothers Anton and Joseph Hemmerle acquire a small Bavarian goldsmith, giving rise to what would become Hemmerle, now an internationally renowned, fourth-generation jeweller.
In 1900, the house exhibited a precious golden Bishop’s Cross at the World Exhibition in Paris that became a highlight of the show and garnered one of its top prizes. Hemmerle went on to supply papal medals to the Vatican and, from 1905, earned exclusive rights to make the Bavarian Maximilian Order, awarded for excellence in the arts and sciences.
Third generation Stefan Hemmerle, who assumed control in 1970, has been instrumental in preserving not only his family’s heritage, but also the skillset of its artisans. The house revived a 19th-century Austrian technique involving hand-carved and drilled gem beads woven and knitted together to create a mesh effect.
Hemmerle and his wife, Sylveli, who joined the company in 1995, sought to expand their presence overseas. Hemmerle made its debut at TEFAF in Maastricht in 1995, and has since exhibited at other prestigious fairs, including at Palm Beach in Florida and PAD and Masterpiece in London.
It was during this time that Hemmerle designs began to push boundaries. Precious gems were juxtaposed with more unconventional materials like aluminium, copper and wood. The notion of value was turned on its head—the focus was less on monetary value and more on aesthetic integrity.