Drawing, Design for Egyptian Story Bangle Bracelet, for Gebrüder Hemmerle

In the late 1980s, Stefan Hemmerle created the first designs for the Harmony Bangle, a bracelet that has since become the signature of the Hemmerle firm. In the Harmony Bangle, the open-ended form, a style of bracelet that can be traced back to ancient times, is distinctly modern. Each end of the bracelet is capped in gems or stones while the rounded forms serve to extend the fluid lines of the bracelet. A hidden closure mechanism embedded within the bracelet enables the seamless form. The Harmony Bangle’s simple, sophisticated silhouette has become the basis of decades of imaginative and seductive contrasts of materials.
In 2006, Stefan Hemmerle traveled with his wife, Sylveli, his son, Christian, and his daughter-in-law, Yasmin, to Egypt, Yasmin’s birthplace. The family’s experience of the country proved deeply inspiring to them all. A private tour of the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo, where Stefan was able to intimately view ancient artifacts, was a creative revelation. The seductive simplicity of line that transcended thousands of years and the amuletic power of Egyptian jewels formed the basis for a series of new designs. This drawing of the Egyptian Story Harmony Bangle, executed by Hemmerle staff, provides a stunning illustration with graphite and crayon of the striations echoed throughout the bracelet.
This drawing is one of four Hemmerle drawings under consideration for acquisition. Together, the group would enhance the museum’s collection of jewelry design drawings.

Drawing, Design for Egyptian Story Bangle Bracelet, for Gebrüder Hemmerle; Designed by Stefan Hemmerle (German, b. 1946); Germany; graphite, black ball point ink, crayon on off-white wove paper; 30.7 x 22.2 cm (12 1/16 x 8 3/4 in.); Gift of Hemmerle; 2012-23-4