The real Hans Stern

In 1939, a seventeen-year-old Jewish boy arrived in Rio de Janeiro, fleeing the onset of war in his native Germany. He got a job as a typing clerk at Cristab, a company that cut, polished and exported precious Brazilian gemstones. In the course of his work at Cristab, Hans traveled to the state of Minas Gerais to meet with local miners, and it was there that the beauty of tourmalines (a Paraiba tourmaline is 10,000 times as rare as a diamond!), aquamarines, amethysts and other stones native to Brazil caught his eye. Six years later, young Hans sold his accordion for two hundred dollars, and invested the money in marketing and selling Brazilian gems, which, until then, the international market didn't really know or care about. The first H.Stern store opened in Rio in 1945, and due to Hans' innovative marketing strategies - giving tours of his workshop, backing his products with warranties, inventing and patenting the 18k "noble gold", and collaborating with celebrities like Catherine Deneuve - eventually grew into the multinational luxury brand it is today. H. Stern introduced the first gemological laboratory in Latin America, and the only Latin American jeweler invited to participate in the Exhibition of Modern Jewellery held by London's Victoria & Albert Museum in 1961. Mr. Stern, who didn't cultivate a public persona and hated giving interviews, died in Rio de Janeiro on October 26, 2007 at the age of 85, leaving behind a legacy of 160 stores in 12 countries, and exquisite jewelry such as the sampling you see here: www.facebook.com/borninthewrongdecade