Hans Stern

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hans Stern (October 1, 1922 – October 26, 2007) was a Brazilian jeweler and businessman. He was dubbed the "king of the colored gems" by the Brazilian and international media.[1]

Contents

[edit] Early life

Born in Essen, Germany, on October 1, 1922,[2] Stern immigrated from Germany to Brazil at outbreak of World War II. Hans arrived in Brazil as a poor Jewish German immigrant when he was just 17 years old.[1]

[edit] Career

Stern started his career in the gemstone industry when he began working the Rio de Janeiro-based company, Cristab, which exports precious stones and minerals from Brazil.[1] Stern traveled to Minas Gerais state as part of his job, where he came to know the local miners.[1] He also became familiarized with many of the precious stones that were mined in the area, including topazes, tourmalines and amethysts.[1]

Stern founded his company, H. Stern, in 1945, in order to market Brazilian gems[1] There was no real market for Brazilian gemstones or semiprescious stones at the time.[1] His company would eventually grow into a multinational jewellery empire. Stern and his company trained a large number of young Brazilian jewelers as H. Stern gained customers and market credibility.[1] His work propelled the Brazilian jeweler industry up to international standards.[1]

Stern's company, H. Stern, grew into a retail chain of 160 stores throughout Brazil.[1] Stern began expanding to overseas markets in the early 2000s. He participated in the Basel Jewelry and Watch Fair in Basel, Switzerland, in 2003 for the first time.[1] From the jewelry and watch fair, he was able to establish a growing network of contacts and partnerships throughout Europe, the United States and the Middle East.[1]

As of late 2007, there are now 170 stores which are franchised in 26 countries.[1] Hans jewelry and gemstones have been featured in a number of international fashion magazines, such as Vogue, Marie Claire and Elle.[1] The H. Stern jewelry line is also now sold in upscale stores in cities as far away from Brazil as Frankfurt, New York City, Paris, and Tel Aviv.[1]

Stern's favorite gemstone was the tourmaline, a semiprecious stone which is commonly found throughout Minas Gerais.[1]

[edit] Death

Hans Stern died on October 26, 2007, in Rio de Janeiro at age 85.[2] Stern had been hospitalized for days before his death.[1] He was survived by his wife, Ruth, whom he married in 1958.[1] Together the couple had four sons - Roberto, Ricardo, Ronaldo and Rafael. [1]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Hans Stern", Associated Press, Legacy.com, 2007-10-29. Retrieved on 2007-11-28. 
  2. ^ a b Hans Stern, the Founder of a World Jewel Empire, Dies in Brazil. Brazzil Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-10-26.
Languages