Hans Stern (jeweler)

Hans Stern at the age of 18 on his arrival in Brazil

Hans Stern (born October 1, 1922 in Essen , † October 26, 2007 in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil ) was a German-Brazilian jeweler and the senior director of the third largest jewelry company in the world.

Life

Hans Stern came from a Jewish family based in Essen / Ruhr. After the father's electronics shop was set on fire and destroyed during the Night of the Reichspogrom , the family emigrated to South America. In 1939 Hans Stern set foot on Brazilian soil. In 1949, Stern opened his first store for gemstones in Rio, which, according to the family legend, he financed from the proceeds of his accordion and which he initially sold to cruise ship passengers . 60 years later, he owned the third largest jewelry company in the world after Tiffany and Cartier . His jewelry and jewelry watches have been awarded all the prestigious design prizes.

The head office of the company is in Rio de Janeiro , the museum for precious stones donated by Stern with a workshop for the processing and grinding of the stones in the Ipanema district . In 1958, Stern set up the first gem laboratory in South America.

In the 1980s he brought out the first collection with Catherine Deneuve , which was co-developed by a movie star and became a great commercial success. Similar projects with other film and pop stars followed.

The H. Stern company is represented in fourteen countries and has over 3,500 employees. Annual sales are estimated at over 100 million euros, 70 percent of which in Brazil. The two German locations are in Frankfurt.

Hans Stern married Ruth Beildeck from Essen in 1958; he leaves behind his wife Ruth and the sons Roberto, Ricardo, Ronaldo and Rafael.

literature

Hermann Schröter: From Refugee to Gemstone King. The life path of Hans Stern from Essen , in: Hermann Schröter (Hrsg.): History and fate of the Essen Jews: Memorial book for the Jewish fellow citizens of the city of Essen . Essen: City of Essen, 1980, pp. 276–279; Ruth Beildeck, p. 478

Web links

Individual evidence

^ Maria Luiza Tucci Carneiro: World Citizens: Brazil and the Refugees of National Socialism, 1933-1948. Lit, Vienna a. a. 2014, ISBN 978-3643-90369-3 , p. 258.

personal data
SURNAME	Stern, Hans
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German-Brazilian jeweler, senior director of the third largest jewelry company in the world
DATE OF BIRTH	October 1, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH	eat
DATE OF DEATH	October 26, 2007
Place of death	Rio de Janeiro , Brazil

[1] Maria Luiza Tucci Carneiro: World Citizens: Brazil and the Refugees of National Socialism, 1933-1948. Lit, Vienna a. a. 2014, ISBN 978-3643-90369-3 , p. 258.