The Untouchables

The GLOBAL NETWORK of private super jewelers is growing. A key to cracking their codes.

- Stellene Volandes

HEMMERLE

The Munich-based jewelry family celebrates its 125th anniversary this year. Hemmerle’s one-of-a kind designs, like these ancient Egyptian–inspired pieces, are sold only at 14 Maximilianstrasse and at the twice yearly appointment-only viewings at New York’s Hôtel Plaza Athénée. FROM LEFT: HEMMERLE EMERALD, AGATE, AND SAPPHIRE NECKLACE; DIAMOND AND BRONZE BANGLE; AND EARRINGS, ALL WITH ANCIENT EGYPTIAN FAIENCE AMULETS (PRICES ON REQUEST), HEMMERLE.COM

I call them the Super Jewelers. They create only a limited number of one-of-a-kind pieces. They sell only by appointment. They work with the rarest of stones and the most innovative of materials, and for only the most discerning of people. Their names are spoken frequently by those fluent in the secret language of jewelry snobs, but otherwise they are purposefully unknown. In some respects their methods are rooted in traditions that hark back to the days of jewelers of the court: the highest regard for craftsmanship and quality and privacy, and a personal relationship with each of their devoted clients. But this new breed of jewelers—five of whom are represented in this portfolio—dares to carve Kashmir sapphires into aluminum rings, set Golcondas in bright pink enamel, and create cauliflower brooches in fine diamonds. Some of them, in a market that demands constant self-promotion, shun social media and refuse personal appearances.

LAUREN ADRIANA