Hemmerle

Christian and Yasmin Hemmerle
  • Christian and Yasmin Hemmerle

Maximilianstrasse 14
80539 Munich
Germany

T: +49 89 24 22 600

hemmerle.com

Bio

Hemmerle is a fourth-generation family-run jeweller at the vanguard of contemporary design. Founded in 1893 in Munich, Germany, it is considered one of the world’s most inventive jewellers and remains renowned for its one-of-a-kind works characterised by innovative material combinations and a dedication to craftsmanship and quality. Each jewel conceived is handcrafted and layered with cultural references and is as original as a work of art.

Today, Christian and Yasmin Hemmerle run the business, with the continued support of Stefan and Sylveli Hemmerle. Hemmerle’s jewellery has been exhibited in museums worldwide and can be found in the permanent collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, New York; and Die Neue Sammlung, Munich.

Hemmerle’s 131-year history has distinctly informed its layers of knowledge, expertise and design principles today. As a family-run house over four generations, an ethos has evolved where freedom and a belief in pushing boundaries are at the centre of thinking and enquiry. From its history as medals maker to Bavarian royalty and the Vatican to the influence of German art movements like the Bauhaus and Neue Sachlichkeit, Hemmerle has learnt to take inspiration from both the past and present, applied with an innovative and bold perspective.

The Hemmerle family travel across the world treasure hunting for rare materials and the house’s signature styles include structural pieces with geometric lines, the open-ended harmony bangle with its seamless closure, necklaces hung with a luxuriant tassel and diamonds set upside down to give a ‘spiky’ effect. About 150 creations are made each year and a single piece can take over 500 hours of work and years can pass waiting to find the perfect component to complete a piece. Dedication to craftsmanship, researching innovative techniques and the bold use of materials, as well as making everything under one roof at the house’s atelier in Munich with its twenty mastercraftsmen, are all key components that constitute Hemmerle’s philosophy and ideology.

At Hemmerle’s only atelier, all jewels are made on-site, where master craftsmen continue to research and develop multiple crafts from patina development to stone setting. Striking a balance between traditional techniques passed down through generations and extensive experimentation with new processes, Hemmerle continuously challenges its craft to break down self-imposed limits and open new possibilities. No restraints are set on the time each creation takes, with over 500 hours of craftsmanship often dedicated to a single jewel.

Reflecting the originality, individuality and beauty of our world, Hemmerle blends the vocabulary of sculpture with the functional demands of jewellery design to create one-of-a-kind, enduring and timeless jewels. Little hierarchy is given to materials where rare stones and unorthodox metals are often the starting point and drive creativity. Striking material combinations, unusual rare woods and treasure-hunted artefacts, the development of its own patinas and the use of a variety of metals are some of the components that distinguish Hemmerle.

@Hemmerle

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