Founded in Rio de Janeiro in 1941 by Jules Sauer, a French immigrant who unearthed Brazil’s first recorded emerald, the third-generation family-owned jewelry brand prides itself on unparalleled artistry and exceptional design. For over 80 years SAUER has created timeless pieces which resonate with both long-term patrons and the next generation, staying true to Jules’ original philosophy of feminine empowerment and metaphysical symbolism. It has won the prestigious Diamonds International Award three times. The Madison Avenue store is its seventh and first outside of Brazil.
Bridging Past and Present. It was in 1939 that the then 18-year-old Frenchman Jules Sauer started afresh in Brazil and fell in love with the colorful and enigmatic world of gemstones, setting a new course for his story and legacy in the country. It was the beginning of a journey that transformed him into a pioneer in the prospecting and promoting of precious colored stones in Brazil, lending him the nickname of “Gemstone Hunter.” Fleeing Europe during World War II and Nazi persecution, he settled in Rio de Janeiro and was able to found his own business in 1941, initially named Lapidação Amsterdam. In 1956, Rio de Janeiro fervently relished in its golden years, bustling and swaying at an elegant pace to the rhythm of the bossa nova as it welcomed Hollywood stars who arrived at the Copacabana Palace to revel in all the city’s wonders. Directly beside the renowned hotel, on the ground floor of the Chopin building, Sauer unveiled its first boutique, 15 years after the company was founded. For the first time, a carioca jeweler was replicating in Rio those highest standards of décor and service seen in its French jewelry counterparts at the Place Vendôme in Paris. And its location could not be more fitting: ocean-front on Avenida Atlântica, the glamour of which only rivaled that of the old Avenida Central, where Sauer would actually open its second boutique.
In 1963, Jules interrupted a family trip in Bahia for an impromptu visit to the region of Salininha, west of the São Francisco River, to closely inspect the green stones miners had just found there. It turned out that they were not simply the commonly known green beryls as they had thought, but were in fact real emeralds, sought by Portuguese colonizers in Brazil since the 1500s. So Jules appealed to the Gemological Institute of America – the GIA – the world’s most prestigious gemology institution, for help in recognizing the stones as emeralds, and was able to obtain the certification for the first emeralds found in the country. Throughout the following years Sauer became the most esteemed and respected expert in Brazilian and Colombian emeralds in South America. The recognition of the Brazilian emerald opened the doors of the international market to the precious and colorful gemstones of Brazil. Jules was a pioneer and was also responsible for introducing and promoting rare, valuable gems in the country: imperial topaz, which is only found here; tanzanite, produced exclusively in Tanzania; and the astounding Paraíba tourmaline, with its exquisite shade of neon blue. In 1966, Sauer became the first South American jeweler to receive the prestigious De Beers Diamonds International Award, known as the Oscars of international jewelry design, for its Constellation ring, one of the brand’s most iconic and celebrated pieces to this day. It was subsequently awarded again in 1992, for its Luna bracelet, and for the third time in 2000, with the Fireworks necklace. In acknowledgment of his extensive work with colored gemstones and his vast contribution to the industry, Jules Sauer was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Colored Gemstone Association in 2007. Throughout its history, Sauer has always aimed to innovate without distancing itself from its DNA. For over eight decades, our artisans have sought excellence and emotion, not only instilling jewels with sentimental meaning and value, but also pursuing humankind’s age-old history of admiration and fascination for these bona fide amulets of spiritual connection. The mystique and magic of the art of jewelry permeate SAUER’s philosophy, as it continuously draws inspiration for every collection from the stars and nature, from the Brazilian spirit and from its own origins, to create wonders that transcend time and trends.
SAUER is proud to uphold its family-owned structure, today led by Gabriel Sauer, Rafael Sauer Eisenberg and Stephanie Wenk. With the family’s third generation taking the helm in 2013, plus a comprehensive rebranding in 2018 in which the company changed its name from Amsterdam Sauer to SAUER, the name of its debut store back in 1956, they are known for their originality and innovation in design while honoring the brand’s heritage.
About Stephanie Wenk Stephanie Wenk has been SAUER’s creative director since 2014. Under her command, the identity and personality of the house founded in 1941 has been not only preserved, but updated for today, keeping the ideology of founder Jules Sauer in connection with a new audience and market. Her career began in psychology and then moved on to fashion, meeting up again with the brand’s jewelry, which has been part of her history since childhood. Stephanie grew up in the Sauer family workshops, among goldsmiths and artisans, absorbing the belief in the physical, emotional and spiritual power of precious stones and making them objects of adoration and revolution in the sector. In his intuitive process, the surprising and the irreverent come to life, the dreamlike and the contemplative take on forms that have won over clients attracted by collections punctuated by constellations, wonders of nature, esoteric dimensions, artistic movements, architectural studies and scientific discoveries. “It’s an honor to be able to tell SAUER’s story in new chapters, presenting pieces full of symbolism, personality and femininity to women who will wear them today and pass them on to future generations,” she says. “As a woman at the head of a brand that has a predominantly female team, I see it as essential to spread the strength and diversity of the remarkable women who remind us, day after day, that we hold the keys to tackling the biggest global challenges.”
There are more than 20 collections designed with innovation and tradition, in which Stephanie celebrates the beauty and exuberance of Brazil, presenting the world with pieces that exalt the biodiversity, culture and state of mind of an original country. In the creative philosophy proposed by the designer, idealization and production are inseparably linked to ecological awareness and sustainability. “Nature is our most valuable asset, the jewel of jewels,” says Stephanie, reinforcing her vision that jewelry can be an expression of respect and environmental preservation. As part of this commitment, SAUER, under her leadership, has established a solid partnership with IDESAM (Institute for the Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Amazon), making donations and actively contributing to initiatives aimed at protecting and restoring forest areas, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to the circular economy. SAUER has always sought to interact with the most diverse forms of art, in line with movements to affirm culture and critically record the times. Stephanie continues the legacy and elevates her jewelry to the status of art by presenting true masterpieces to wear and collect, as well as exhibiting them at events supported by the brand, an initiative that has consolidated her name and her work on the international market. “I believe that this synergy is the result of a dedicated relationship with the art world, whether in collections or partnerships that establish a frank dialogue between creators and the public,” says Stephanie, who since 2022 has been one of the judges of the Sauer Art Prize, an award she conceived to announce the revelation artist of the Armory Show, one of New York’s most celebrated fairs. Under Stephanie’s creative direction, SAUER also expanded its network of friends and clients as the collections spread across an increasingly connected world, open to the unique and authorial. Queen Máxima of Holland, Diane Kruger, Marisa Berenson, Jason Wu, Bianca Brandolini, Jerry Hall, Miley Cyrus, Paris Hilton, Martha Stewart and Princess Olympia of Greece have all been carried away by Stephanie’s imagination.With a decade of deep contact with the genesis of the brand, Stephanie has summarized and reinvented more than 80 years of an adventure full of symbolism, experimentation and artistic transcendence. Her creations have brought freshness and a precise touch of good humor to Brazilian fashion and international jewellery in pieces that will live on in time and memory. “It is curiosity that moves us to this unavoidable meeting, where sensations transcend reason and make us believe that art is the key to rescuing the past, rediscussing the present and flirting with the future.”
