Last week, I went one day to the famous International Jewelry and Watch Show in Basel, Switzerland: BASELWORLD. In the morning, I was picked up by Tesla for my first ride ever in an electric super car and brought directly to the VIERI showroom, located in a beautiful location in St. Margrethen, Binningen, to explore their stunning new Haute Joaillerie collections.
I have become a huge fan of the jewelry brand lately that is looking back at over 70 years of experience in the jewelry industry. Launched in Pforzheim, Germany, the company moved its headquarters to Switzerland in 1999. Not long ago, I met Guya Merkle, granddaughter of VIERI founder Rudolf Merkle, through common friends. I was fascinated by her taste and vision. The charming 28-year-old took over the management of the company spontaneously in 2007, following her father’s sudden death. Since then, VIERI has produced all its collections in Valenza, a small municipality in northern Italy famed for its gold and jewelry.
Under the forward-looking leadership of Guya, VIERI Haute Joaillerie has been moving into a new era. »What is true luxury? Shouldn’t a luxury product have a positive effect on everyone who comes into contact with it?« Guya decided to give the company her personal stamp and to instil it with her own values. She travelled to Peru to get a true picture of working conditions in several gold mines – an experience that left a deep and lasting impression on her.
Afterwards, she founded earthbeat foundation, a foundation for responsible gold mining, and transformed VIERI into one of the first high-end jewelry companies to work exclusively with ethically sourced gold.
Please enjoy some more of VIERI’s impressive designs below:
Lily Collier Fireworks
VIERI – Lily Ring Fireworks
VIERI by Bibi van der Velden – The Pearls Light Earrings
VIERI by Bibi van der Velden – The Cobweb Bracelet
For further information, please visit the VIERI homepage.
More from my visit to the Baselworld 2014 coming up soon!
LoL, Sandra
Photos: Courtesy of Vieri and © Sandra Bauknecht
