Bunte May 2020

Friday, 15 May 2020

THE COUTURIER OF GEMSTONES

Thomas Jirgens, the Munich society jeweler, has a penchant for vintage diamonds and adds the finishing touches to VIPs' looks

 

His jewelry adorns the graceful ears, arms and necks of society and aristocratic ladies. Model Barbara Meier, for example, wore one of his jewelry creations worth a seven-figure sum at the Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles two years ago: Thomas Jirgens, founder and owner of the Munich-based Juwelenschmiede, is something like the court jeweler of high society, whose guest and host he regularly is at numerous (charity) events.

The color of his eyes rivals that of the Paraiba tourmalines he loves so dearly; born in the town of Altötting, an ancient place of pilgrimage, he speaks the most beautiful, heart-warming Upper Bavarian dialect. The gemologist's great passion belongs to gemstones, according to the motto: the bigger the stone, the greater the love. "I generally prefer to touch diamonds with my fingers rather than with tweezers," says Thomas Jirgens with jovial understatement.

He shares this sentiment with most of his customers, but there is also a technical reason for his passion for high-carat gemstones: he is particularly fond of the "European Cut". This is the name given to the special cut of vintage diamonds as they were produced at the turn of the century. "This cut is less multifaceted; that means the stones don't reflect the light quite as aggressively as a brilliant full cut. The stone looks more elegant, more tranquil, more generous." European Cuts were made to be worn by candlelight. Ladies of this era didn't care much for small gemstones, preferring to wear large, high-carat solitaires. Adding lots of facets to small stones was still too complicated at that time."After that, towards the middle of the last century, there was a shift to full-cut diamonds, but this is specifically designed to make small gemstones appear more radiant," says Jirgens.

Regardless of carat size, however, Jirgens sees himself as a "couturier" for his customers: "Jewelry has to be tried on and tailored, just like an evening gown. How does the color of the stones go with the woman's complexion? How does the shape fit her face?" He may not believe that gemstones possess any esoteric properties.

Regardless of carat size, however, Jirgens sees himself as a "couturier" for his customers: "Jewelry has to be tried on and tailored, just like an evening gown. How does the color of the stones go with the woman's complexion? How does the shape fit her face?" He may not believe in the esoteric properties of gemstones. But still, "they possess personality, charisma, and power. And these are meant to perfectly emphasize a woman's beauty."

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