Working with his father was not always easy for the young Jürg Stadelmann. He therefore sought a new challenge and opened his own business in 1972: BijouxStadelmann AG. The young goldsmith from Bern later infected his daughter Nicole with his passion for gemstones, which still characterizes the business today. In the external article "50 years of BijouxStadelmann AG", we take a look back. And into the future. Because the fourth generation is already at the start.
The final section presents the professional film for the anniversary.
50 years of Bijouterie Stadelmann AG; 50 years of sparkling stones, pearls, diamonds, sapphires and other precious stones, delicately worked into golden bracelets. In striking necklaces. In sparkling earrings or in wedding rings that bind a couple together forever. Micha Stadelmann knows exactly what kind of jewelry he wants to make. Preferably unusual, for his loved ones and for himself. He is the youngest member of the Stadelmann family. Boisterous and playful. And the latest addition to the family business.
Micha Stadelmann and Andrin Krieg-Stadelmann are the great-grandchildren of Hans Stadelmann, who ran a jewelry store on Theaterplatz in Bern for 30 years.
[Image of the contribution from Hans Stadelmann's goldsmith's store on Theaterplatz
from the picture book "Ein Augenblick wird Ewigkeit" by Heidi Lutz-Krebs (2022)].
They are the grandsons of Jürg Stadelmann, who bought the Bernese goldsmiths Hofer AG over 50 years ago - a little later it became Bijoux-Stadelmann AG.
Micha is the youngest son of gemmologist Nicole Stadelmann, who has successfully run the jewelry shop for many years. So forging is in Micha's genes. Nevertheless, he initially wanted nothing to do with the glitter and sparkle of jewelry. He wanted to go his own way, find his own passion. His mother let him go: She wanted him to find a profession that fulfilled him. After searching for a passion, which is difficult for many young people, the unexpected happened. "He found his calling in a roundabout way, in goldsmithing of all things," says Nicole Stadelmann. In summer 2023, he completed his second apprenticeship in his parents' business and is now also part of the management team.
The goldsmith's workshop on the second floor of Marktgasse 29 resembles a laboratory. Next to the workstations where the goldsmiths are concentrating on a piece of jewelry, hammers adorn the wall in a long row - each with a different structure. In one place gold is being melted, in another there are electrolytic baths that make the white gold even shinier.
Goldsmithing is by no means just filigree work: in the workshop, a great deal of force is used to saw, hammer, file, solder, draw, cut, turn and, of course, polish. "You get your hands dirty as a goldsmith," says Nicole Stadelmann. She gives her son, as well as the other goldsmiths in the studio, the freedom to be creative and find their own style. Jewelry changes with every generation, she says, "so it's important to be open to new trends and to try things out".
Nicole Stadelmann also has confidence in her older son Andrin Krieg (-Stadelmann). Unlike his brother, he found his place in the family business earlier: He has been working in the jewelry store since 2018, initially alongside his studies.
He is leading the business into the digital age and supports his mother, together with his brother, in the management. "I can contribute new things, especially in the digital sector," he says. But in most other areas, he can still learn a lot from his mother "I benefit enormously from her experience."
He says that he still needs a lot of knowledge for a possible future takeover. For example, it is difficult to assess which gemstones should be purchased: "They have a corresponding price due to their rarity - and then have to be sold." Today, the sale of unique pieces from the studio is the main source of income for the jewelry manufactory. "Making a piece of jewelry by hand is enormously time-consuming - but we couldn't run a business like this with a team using only craftsmanship."
The passion for precious stones and valuable jewelry has rubbed off on Micha and Andrin. Andrin literally grew up among glittering stones, he says. But now he wants to breathe new life into the business in order to attract more jewelry enthusiasts as clients. "We often have to get inexperienced, and therefore mostly young people, to develop a taste for handmade jewelry," he says. People who treat themselves to an expensive piece of jewelry for the first time often go for industrially manufactured jewelry because the brand is well-known. Many pay for the label, but the prices are usually not justified.
"Many people use it to pay for the label, but the prices are usually not justified."
One of his goals is therefore to show people the value of individual jewelry. "Once they have discovered it, almost everyone is as enthusiastic about it as we are."
It is worth mentioning that many customers know how much craftsmanship, creativity and experience goes into their new piece of jewelry, says Andrin Krieg: "They appreciate our values such as our well-trained staff and the family atmosphere. When a goldsmith brings a new, beautiful piece from the workshop into the store, it is often celebrated. Our jewelry contains many valuable and beautiful materials as well as a lot of time and passion."
It is also often touching to see the joy of someone who has found a favorite piece. "That's pure emotion!" Her great-grandfather always said that jewelry is a basic human need - even primitive peoples adorned themselves. All in their own way.
"Jewelry is a basic human need - even primitive peoples have adorned themselves - each in their own way."
Keyword emotions. Jewelry is always about emotions, says Nicole Stadelmann. It is often bought at moving moments: for an engagement, a wedding or a birthday.
Sometimes it also gets emotional when people bring their jewelry to "Trouvaille" - or find a very special piece with history and style there. The Stadelmanns sell second-hand jewelry at Trouvaille, at the back of the Bijouterie. "It's always nice to see how much joy a piece of jewelry still gives you after so many years," says Nicole Stadelmann.
She is also touched when someone finds a suitable piece, "especially if it's a unique piece with rare gemstones". Jewelry and gemstones are part of her life. She has never forgotten how her grandfather used to go to the mountains with the "Strahlenhämmerli" to shine and come back with sparkling rock crystals. Or the excitement when her father returned from his annual trip to the Far East in January - with beautiful treasures sparkling in all colors in his luggage.
Fortunately, it is easier to buy gemstones today, says Nicole Stadelmann. When shopping at the gemstone dealers who now come as far as Bern's Marktgasse, she, like her father back then, "always has an eye out for unusual stones".
"Gemstones are nature's works of art." Nicole Stadelmann goes into raptures when she talks about gemstones: "Such splendor, hidden in deep rock! And then at some point they are spit out by the earth and found by people." Like a sapphire that is washed out of a mountain by water. Or tiny diamonds that have been deposited in the sand of Namibian beaches at some point. "Gemstones are very rare; every stone is unique," says Nicole Stadelmann. Her eyes light up. She has "always" had this passion for beautiful stones. So it was only natural that she became a gemologist, a specialist in gemstones, like her grandfather and father. "Even as a small child, I said that I would one day work in my dad's shiny business." To mark her 50th anniversary, Nicole Stadelmann has bought extraordinary gemstones, rock crystals from Switzerland, to raffle off among her customers: 50 "millions of years old" crystals from the spectacular find in the Central Swiss Alps.
It is important to know where a stone was found, says Nicole Stadelmann: "I want to know where sapphire Y that I am selling to customer X comes from, for example." Today, she usually knows the entire supply chain of her stones.
When it comes to precious metals, Bijouterie also relies exclusively on "Oekogold", the Swiss seal of quality for recycled, melted precious metals. Although freshly mined precious metals such as gold from Fairtrade gold mines are still available today, "mercury is still used to extract gold, which in turn poisons the environment".
The sons are enthusiastic about the jeweller's ecological tradition. There are enough used precious metals, says Andrin Krieg-Stadelmann, "so why mine new ones? Customers are also sensitive - well-known labels with their own mines without transparency are coming under increasing pressure."
Basically, the clientele is very mixed. Elegant, uncomplicated, chic people, but also young couples come into her store. "You can't tell by looking at a person what category of jewelry they are interested in," says Andrin Krieg. To give good advice, you have to feel people out and get involved with them. "You have to be honest and have the courage to say if something doesn't fit." He talks about the ordinary pensioner who gives his wife a valuable ring for her birthday. Or of the woman who orders a silver collar for her dog.
Andrin Krieg himself wears a Tahitian pearl necklace, a diamond brooch and a striking signet ring. Men's jewelry in all its forms is "very much on the rise", he says. From ball chains to unusual earrings for men, everything is popular in his generation. Engagement rings are also more in demand than ever. Andrin Krieg suspects that streaming companies such as Netflix and social media are also responsible for this effect: "Profiles and series featuring perfectly styled people have a huge influence on us."
Nicole Stadelmann smiles. She is always amazed at how classics or pieces of jewelry that she herself considers "seen a thousand times" become a hit with the youngsters again. But that's a good thing: "Our jewelry store has always been able to call itself innovative - and the youngsters bring different ideas with them. Tradition gives the company substance. Today, you have to constantly evolve and remain agile, says Nicole Stadelmann. For her, this also means giving her sons the chance to contribute themselves and their ideas - sometimes with youthful exuberance.
This text was written by Ms. Manuela Ryter, in collaboration with Bijouterie Stadelmann 1972, in 2022.
If you have any questions about our history, we will be happy to provide you with further information
In 2022, Bijouterie Stadelmann celebrates its 50th anniversary. The former Hofer AG, which still exists as a public limited company, can even look back on a 100-year history. To mark the occasion, the jewelry store came up with something special and, in addition to various activities, made a film with customers. This time, too, the film production company Querform Filmproduction took over the direction.
In our Trouvaille you will find used jewelry as well as liquidation goods from suppliers at interesting prices. You also have the opportunity to sell your jewelry on consignment. We are also happy to provide you with other information about our store at the back of Marktgasse 29.
