Hans Stern, 85; German immigrant helped create Brazil’s gem industry
Hans Stern, 85, a poor German immigrant who used Brazilian precious stones to create an eponymous jewelry empire known the world over, died Friday in Rio de Janeiro. Stern had been hospitalized for days, but the cause of his death was not immediately known, said company spokeswoman Betti Garcia.
Born in 1922 in Essen, Germany, Stern fled with his family at the outbreak of World War II and arrived at 17 in Brazil, where he fell in love with the country’s abundant colored gemstones, according to a company biography.
He started working for Cristab, an exporter of minerals and precious stones based in Rio. Traveling inland on horseback, Stern got to know the miners and the lodes of tourmaline, amethyst, topaz and other semiprecious stones.
In 1945, he founded his own gemstone trading business in Rio called H. Stern to harvest the potential he saw in marketing Brazilian gems -- a trade then practically nonexistent.
As the company grew, gaining customers and market credibility, Stern raised the Brazilian jewelry trade to international standards.
Today, 170 stores are franchised in 26 countries.
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