Elke Berr evolved as a designer when she succumbed to her love of color
Trained as a gemologist nearly two decades ago, Elke Berr began her designing career making tried-and-true styles featuring precious stones, such as rubies, sapphires and emeralds, in classic yet predictable settings. “The value was given by the stone itself, while the design was not the central interest of the jewel,” she says. Fast-forward 20 years, and Berr’s work is anything but conventional. It includes a slew of precious and semiprecious pieces in special cuts like the bubble-cut, mirror-cut, wave-cut and ice-cube cut. Read on to discover her creative turning point.
| Ring featuring a wave-cut smoky quartz |
Who: Elke Fechner-Berr, Elke Berr Creations, Genève Age: 44 Home base: Geneva, Switzerland
What: Feminine, trendy jewelry with colored gemstones in 18-karat gold.
Where to buy: Best jewelry shops in Switzerland, Paris, Monaco, Munich, Milan, Kiev, Dubai, Doha and Jeddah.
Philosophy: A passion for gems, life and women who know what they want. My jewelry should be their favorite piece and make them look different, happy and passionate about life, at reasonable prices.
Inspiration: Unusual stones and cuts, and traveling. I capture the colors, trends and people in different countries.
| Necklace strung with lemon quartz drops |
Gemstone preferences: Stones with effects, like star rubies, moonstones, black star diopside and quartz in all colors, cut in unusual shapes.
Design epiphany: At a certain point, coinciding with my son Raphaël’s birth seven years ago, I felt a drive to create jewelry for everyday wear, for myself and for a passionate, trendy woman, and I started designing with semiprecious stones and pearls.
Dream clients: The ones who take the risk to promote a new name and stand behind me.
Breakthrough moment: One year ago, I started to sell in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Training: I was a gemologist and gemstone dealer before launching my own collections.
Retail price range: $800–$50,000.
