Keeper of a Gemstone Legacy

edgy Brazilian jewelry brand Sauer has b een around for eight decades and still manages to wow us with playful, whimsical design twists under creative director Stephanie Wenk.

The legacy of SAUER, one of Brazil’s most distinguished jewelers, began in 1939 with Jules Roger Sauer, then an 18year-old Frenchman who fled persecution during World War II. Arriving in Brazil, Jules fell in love with its abundance of colorful and enigmatic gemstones. This newfound passion set him on course to become a pioneer in prospecting and promoting precious colored gemstones, earning him the nickname “Gemstone Hunter.” He settled in Rio de Janeiro and founded his business, originally named Lapidação Amsterdam, in 1941. Fifteen years later, when Hollywood and society luminaries were flooding Rio’s Copacabana Palace hotel and relishing the city’s many wonders, Jules saw an opportunity. He opened his first boutique right next to the hotel in 1956. The brand’s artisans combined vibrantly colored precious stones with innovative craftsmanship and designs, and quickly established the aesthetic for which SAUER is still known today.

Eighty years after founding his company, Jules’s commitment to conveying the mysticism and the emotional, physical and spiritual powers of gemstones is still at the core of the brand’s DNA, and extends well beyond his many celebrated designs. His discovery of the country’s first emerald mine, in 1963, opened the doors for Brazil’s place in the international precious gemstone market and distinguished Jules as the most esteemed and respected expert in Brazilian and Colombian emeralds in South America. He was also responsible for introducing and promoting Imperial Topaz, which is only found in Brazil; Tanzanite, produced exclusively in Tanzania; and Paraiba tourmaline, with its breathtaking neon blue hues.

Stephanie Wenk, SAUER’s Creative Director since 2013, continues to be guided by the brand’s ethos while applying a modern sensibility to contemporary collections. Her background is in psychology and fashion, and her designs are infused with symbolism and femininity. “As a woman at the helm of a brand that boasts a mainly female workplace, I think it’s important to propagate the strength and diversity of the women who inspire us and who remind us that we invariably hold the key to solving the world’s greatest challenges,” she says. Stephanie’s collections are steeped in references to constellations, art movements, architectural studies and scientific discovery, as well as the influences of some of her favorite artists, such as Viren Bhagat, JAR and Suzanne Belperron. Formidable in scale, materials and craftsmanship, her pieces reveal a sense of playfulness and irreverence in their palettes and silhouettes. The brand’s most recent collection, Tarsila, pays tribute to the work of one of the most prominent artists of Brazil’s modernist movement, Tarsila do Amaral. Throughout the collection, Stephanie reimagines the shapes, themes and colors that fueled Tarsila’s pursuit of a quintessential national identity, recreating them in jewels that are three-dimensional interpretations of paintings created in the 1920s.