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STORY KIM LEE
A three-women team lies behind the magic of Stefan Hafner jewellery.
IF jewellery could make a woman feel like a goddess, it would likely bear the mark of Stefan Hafner. This year’s creations from the house of Hafner give more of what
jewellery connoisseurs have come to expect – sensuous pieces that capture the essence of what it feels like to be a beautiful woman.
But the expected is not boringly repetitious. Stefan Hafner jewellery challenges notions of what elegant jewellery can be. Take for example, Fiore, a collection with a classic theme favoured by the jeweller: flowers. But what blooms they are! Fashioned out of an unusual marriage of black gold with black and white diamonds, set aflame with rubies and pink and orange sapphires, these gems bring to life flexible floral arrangements that Mother Nature might envy, so skilfully were they wrought with lightness and magnificence.
The emotional yet technical mastery in craftsmanship is a hallmark of Stefan Hafner, a legacy of the man of the same name who founded the house in 1967 in Valenza, Italy. Hafner’s unmistakeable flair, a melding of the classic and the contemporary, brought him recognition as a jeweller’s jeweller. Stefan Hafner collections are prized the world over and displayed with pride.
However, Stefan Hafner jewellery has evolved beyond the work of one man through design teams who have shared Hafner’s vision. These have included designers with backgrounds as diverse as architecture, fashion, photography and theatre, all driven by their passion for creativity and beauty, and their ability to arouse emotions.
The team behind Stefan Hafner’s 2008 collections comprises three women: Sandra Roncarati, Luisa Bini and Chiara Sforzin. Having been with the house since 1988, Roncarati is most steeped in the Stefan Hafner traditions. “When I started,” she recalls, “Stefan Hafner wanted to make jewellery with diamonds, to give customers something very special. We became famous for our ‘floating’ diamonds… when we started to connect diamonds with very fine wires.”
Collections in recent years have begun to feature more coloured stones, and the 2008 collection could be Stefan Hafner’s brightest palette ever. Says Sforzin, just four years with the house, “There is a lot of variety.” Does she have favourites? “All the pieces are beautiful,” she demurred. Her and Bini’s relative newness at Stefan
Hafner infuse the brand with new ideas and modernity. Rings are their favourite to design, such as the effervescent Monet rings. With inspiration drawn from impressionist artist Claude Monet’s renowned water lily paintings, the Monet rings make art wearable, and evermore precious.
Colours are a treat for Bini to play with, even after 9 years at the house. “I love colours very much… coloured stones are so easy to put into jewellery because people love colours too. Happy people love colours. There are always diamonds, but life is happier with colours.” Life also seems happy as a team. Although temperaments differ, cooperation comes easy, along with common ground in the brand. Their individual styles surface as strong collections of distinct moods, characterised by the elegant grace that distinguishes Hafner jewellery. Says Bini, “I can tell you we are proud of the work we do.”
It only takes a glimpse of the 2008 creations — among them the splendid Venus diamond collection and the versatile Rugiada — to understand why they feel so.
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