A brilliant mind

Not many men will admit that they are unfaithful when it comes to women. That is, unless you are jewellery designer Lorenz Bäumer.

“It’s not just about one woman or muse for me – she always changes,” says the designer, who is happily married. “But one characteristic they all share is the fact that they are modern. They live an incredible life with their businesses, social life and kids.”

While Bäumer’s approach to haute joaillerie may not be conventional, it has clearly worked in his favour. Since launching his own line in 1992, he has been lauded as one of this generation’s most innovative jewellers. His work has been immortalised in a book, and exhibited in museums, such as the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris and Forbes Magazine Gallery in New York.

His stunning creations have graced celebrities, socialites and royals including Charlene, the Princess of Monaco, for whom he designed a wedding tiara inspired by her love of swimming.

But the real crowning glory in his illustrious career came in 2009 when he was personally handpicked by LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) honcho Bernard Arnault to become the first artistic director for Louis Vuitton Fine Jewellery.

“Of course, I knew the brand, who doesn’t? What was interesting for me, though, was the fact that it had extraordinary potential in terms of expressing what it has to say in jewellery. There was so much to be done but it was complicated because they come from a very different world. It was not the world of fashion, but the world of travel. For me it was a personal challenge – I love things that are difficult and challenging,” he says with a grin.

Bäumer has always been an ambitious man, which explains why he explored many other creative mediums before deciding to focus on jewellery. He had a diverse upbringing, living in cities such as Washington DC, Tel Aviv and Amman before settling in Paris where he studied engineering. Despite this, it was his fond memories of watching his mother dress up in her jewels that led him to return to his first passion and launch a small collection of costume jewellery, called Lorenz, in 1989.

“I’ve always loved jewellery design, even as a small kid. When I started I had no money, no clients, no experience,” he recalls. “Costume jewellery was something I could do, so I made everything myself, gluing the stones together and selling the pieces through Tupperware parties.”

It was only when one of his clients asked him to reset one of her diamonds in gold that he began to explore a different side of the jewellery world.

By the mid-1990s, he had moved his salon to the heart of Paris’ haute joaillerie district, Place Vendome, where he began working with the country’s finest craftsmen. His style also evolved as he started to push boundaries and experiment with different techniques within the fine jewellery oeuvre. “If I sketch something out and discover that it exists somewhere else, then I will immediately throw that sheet of paper away. As a designer it is very important to be able to create things that don’t exist already.”