First impressions always last. But in the case of Hans Stern, it was the first touch that made a lasting impression.
His simple, unassuming gesture of picking up a handful of precious stones and transferring them from one hand to another during a stint at Cristab, an exporter of precious stones and minerals in Brazil, decided his destiny: to become the biggest jeweler in Brazil and Latin America and one of the world’s most recognized and largest jewelers in the world.
In 1945, H. Stern jewelers was born.
H. Stern, as Hans Stern became popularly known, was a German national who migrated to Brazil at the age of 17 after World War II. His love for his adopted country was instantaneous, as was his love for Brazil’s dazzling array of colored stones. H. Stern opened his first shop in the docks of Rio de Janeiro in 1946 in the hope of marketing Brazilian gems to an international market which was non-existent at that time; he catered to the affluent travelers who arrived aboard luxury cruise liners for visits to the land known for its festive carnivals, samba and beaches. He single-handedly worked to raise awareness of colored stones in the gemological industry and was ultimately responsible for the requalification of the so-called colored stones from “semi-precious” to “precious colored stores.” For this and for making colored stones like tourmaline (his most favorite of all colored stones), amethyst, aquamarine and topaz more desirable among jewelry devotees, alongside diamonds and oriental stones like sapphires and rubies, Time magazine dubbed him the “King of colored stones” in 1964. H. Stern was quoted as saying, “There is no semi-precious stone as there is no semi-pregnant woman or semi-honest man” after the momentous redefinition of his beloved colored gems.
While the jeweler clearly loves working with precious colored stones, the H. Stern company carries diamond jewelries as well and has in fact won multiple International Diamond awards for its avant-garde designs of the precious gem.
H. Stern’s concern for quality was beyond compromise; he employed technicians and goldsmiths from Europe and created the “International Warranty Certificate” to attest to the impeccable quality of his jewels. In 1958, H. Stern became the first jewelry company in Latin America to own a gemological lab with state-of-the-art equipment; their gemstones were carefully screened to conform to the rigorous standards of the Gemological Institute of America. Over the years, media outlets from The New York Times to Vogue showered H. Stern with accolades for his exquisitely crafted, uniquely and tastefully designed jewels and watches. In 2003, H. Stern jewelers expanded its international exposure by participating in the Basel Jewelry and Watch Fair in Switzerland, resulting in an additional 170 retail partnerships with high-end department stores and specialty retailers on top of the 160 family-owned stores in 19 countries and major cities like New York, Tel Aviv, Moscow and Paris to name a few. Today, H. Stern is one of the most sought-after jewelers of jewelry aficionados including red carpet A-listers like Catherine Zeta-Jones, Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Scarlet Johansson and Amy Adams.
Most notable collections
H. Stern is known for some of its legendary lines, first of which is the Diane Von Furstenberg by H. Stern collection; an ensemble of glamorous jewels by the H. Stern design team, it takes inspiration from the lifestyle and personality of Diane Von Furstenberg, the New York-based, Belgium-born fashion designer and maker of the revolutionary “Wrap Dress,” one of fashion’s biggest and most historical successes in the ‘70s. After their initial successful collaboration, Roberto Stern and Ms. Von Furstenberg teamed up once more to create an assortment of jeweled watches named Diane Von Furstenberg for H. Stern Sutra watch collection, an assortment of jeweled watches reviving the 1969 “Be a Woman” mantra immortalized by no less than Ms. Von Furstenberg herself.
Next on the list is the Cobblestone collection launched in 2004, which replicates the charming stone-paved street of Buzios, Brazil’s famous resort town. The collection is handcrafted in 18k Noble Gold with rock crystals, amethyst, tourmaline, rose and smoky quartz, a favorite of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Maria Bello.
The intricate and ingeniously designed Fluid Gold collection is formed with hundreds of textured 18k yellow gold cylinders, which can be used in more than 10 different ways; in the Flapper look of the ‘20s where the necklace is worn long almost to the waist; or the choker look, where the necklace is looped around three to seven rows depending on the height and preference of the woman. The Fluid Gold necklace can also be knotted or tasseled, worn as a powerful and sexy flexible cuff bracelet, a purse strap, a sensual belt, even as a body chain. For the daring and those with a goddess-like mane, it can be braided or entwined through the hair.
The celestial Moonlight collection is made with luminous antique cut-quartz crystals set in 18k Noble Gold with the H. Stern signature diamond-set Victorian multi-point star.
The environmentally inspired Golden Stones collection resembles the shapes of water-eroded pebbles found in the riverbeds of Brazil. The new models in this collection come in a sophisticated and limited-edition series of two styles of earrings, ring and pendant created in 18k Noble Gold pavé–set with black diamonds. Six new models of organic timepieces with 18k gold watchcases were added and created in the same artistry and exclusive technique as the original Golden Stone collection.
All these jewelry collections are a delightful visual expression of the rich, colorful, bold and passionate influences of Brazil on H. Stern. The jeweler’s masterful manipulation of shapes, ingenious play with gold, stones and crystals and obvious dedication to create pieces of timeless design, clearly puts H. Stern jewelry on top of any woman’s wish list, especially this Valentine’s season.