By Åse Anderson in London
With a history of jewellery making that spans more than 120 years, Hemmerle is renowned for its bold and innovative creations. Every creation by this family run German jeweller is a unique miniature work of art in its own right.
Today, the Hemmerle jewellery business is run by Stefan and Sylveli Hemmerle who, together with their son Christian and daughter-in-law Yasmin, have introduced daring new colour combinations and textures while still staying true to the brand's rich heritage. Every jewel is handmade by one of the 15 dedicated goldsmiths working in Hemmerle's Munich atelier, and one piece can take as many as 500 hours to complete.
The collection of vegetable-inspired jewels launched in 2011 and accompanied by a recipe book was typical of the house's quirky but luxurious take on the world of high jewellery. This year's Nature collection, meanwhile, featured bejewelled leaves, acorns and chestnuts, freakily realistic in their lifelike attention to detail.
The latest collection of Hemmerle jewellery, launched just before we bid adieu to 2014, centres on bold pieces in rich colours, from deep brown to leafy green and soft pink. The references to nature are still there but incorporated in a more subtle way through vibrant gemstones and spiky finishes, while the pastel hues seen in some of the jewels seem to herald the arrival of spring.
It's hard to pick favourites from a collection where every jewel is a one-off marvel, but a pair of Hemmerle earrings featuring pink sapphires surrounded by an openwork pattern in blackened silver and white gold are extraordinary, as is a startlingly original Burmese ruby ring set with smaller rubies around the band.
The tone-on-tone colour combinations continue in other new Hemmerle earrings with lush green jade discs and tsavorites or, at the more muted end of the colour spectrum, Melo pearls, diamonds and copper.
Read about Hemmerle's new aluminium jewellery
