Pforzheim: Why exactly this city became the center of German jewelry

Jewelry from Pforzheim: Why has an epicenter of jewelry art emerged here?

When walking through Pforzheim, one thing immediately strikes you: the presence of gold . It's alluded to in bar and salon names like "Goldner Adler" or "Goldstadt Nagelstudio," in the form of gold purchasing points or foundry supply stores. And jewelers at a density that seems higher than on famous luxury shopping streets like Berlin 's Ku'damm or Munich 's Maximilianstraße.

At first glance, this seems surprising for a city like Pforzheim, located in Baden-Württemberg on the edge of the Black Forest, with 135,000 inhabitants, a typical German city (anything over 100,000 is considered a city in this country). It was largely destroyed during World War II; today, the city center boasts chains like H&M , Snipes, and "Hans im Glück." Small bridges cross the three rivers Enz, Nagold, and Würm, and some well-preserved streets with old buildings can still be found outside the city center.

But what makes Pforzheim special—and internationally renowned—continually shines through this normality and is proudly emphasized by many residents: Pforzheim is a gold-mining town and thus a center of the jewelry industry for 250 years. Today, many brands that originated here and were built as family businesses are internationally renowned. What's special about it is that their products, from design to production, continue to be created locally in Pforzheim.

One of these brands is A. Odenwald, founded in 1882. The entrance to the company's factory is located in an inconspicuous backyard. Up the stairs, through the security gate, and into a hallway with offices, you'll find yourself in the workshops where all A. Odenwald jewelry is crafted. "Our collections are particularly characterized by their expressiveness," explains Katja Cicala, project manager. Many of the rings for which the brand is known are wide and heavy, the pendants large and striking, in star or sphere shapes. Some pieces are set with sapphires that shine in all the colors of the rainbow. "We deliberately set a counterpoint to the trend of keeping everything delicate and as simple as possible," says Cicala.

The striking, almost lavish design of the jewelry has a long tradition. "We come from a time when gold was much cheaper and cost barely more than silver," explains Cicala. Even though material prices have changed drastically, the company remains true to its roots. It was family-owned for four generations; now the jewelry brand is part of the Dettinger Group. Around 50 people work for A. Odenwald today, many of them in the in-house workshops, which Cicala guides visitors through. There, the individual production steps of a piece of jewelry are divided among different employees and their areas of expertise.

In the goldsmith's workshop, individual rings are currently being worked on using a laser to repair casting marks; elsewhere, grinding, hammering, and sanding are underway. A ring from the "Tango" line, a hand-held jewel set with colorful sapphires, goes through about eight hands before it's finished. Almost five days of work went into each piece, she says.

Opposite the goldsmith's workshop is the in-house foundry, where gold is still melted and cast into molds several times a week. A separate room is dedicated exclusively to fine polishing. Four women—one wearing two pairs of pairs of pairs of glasses—use four machines resembling sewing machines to make the jewelry shine. This is a rarity, as polishing is rarely considered a separate profession these days, nor is it even trained.

While the machines whir and rattle, the room across the hall is completely silent. There, the setters sit, hunched over microscopes, intently setting sapphires and diamonds into the jewelry. Every movement must be precise; if a hole is drilled too large, it can no longer be corrected. Once the stone is perfectly set in the gold, they hammer the material over it so that it is held in place by the gold alone. The individual trades work hand in hand; once one has completed their task, the resulting piece of jewelry is passed on to the next. "The sheer amount of expertise gathered here – that's what makes Pforzheim such a special location," says Cicala.

Not only do the jewelers themselves provide training for their young talent, but also vocational schools located in the city, including the Vocational College for Design, Jewelry, and Equipment. Every year, young people from all over the world are trained there to become goldsmiths, watchmakers, and designers .

Yana Nesper focuses on a different raw material with her eponymous pearl jewelry line. The family business Heinz Nesper is located in a chic new development on the outskirts of the city. Yana Nesper greets guests personally, and the office dog Emma rubs against her legs. She wears her own jewelry, beautifully presented with a long black dress, particularly eye-catching: a pearl ear cuff that isn't yet on the market. "I'm still trying it on myself," she says with a smile.

Heinz Nesper has been trading pearls since 1970 and continues to supply international jewelers today. The lustrous spheres are currently particularly in demand in the Benelux countries and Eastern Europe. Thousands of pearls hang in the storeroom, strung on strings for safekeeping. They are hand-picked, gleaming white, light pink, or gray, and come from sustainable farms from Japan to Tahiti. When rubbed together, they make a dull clinking sound. This is a sign that distinguishes real pearls from synthetic ones, explains Frank Nesper, Yana's husband, who took over the business from his father. "Even when you touch them, you can feel the difference: If you rub two real pearls together, it feels rough. The natural surface is never completely smooth," he explains.

While the goldsmithing work is outsourced to other experts in Pforzheim, the pearls are worked on directly in a workshop at the rear of the company headquarters. Some assistants drill holes into the delicate mother-of-pearl beads, others search for pairs for earrings that match each other in shape, size, and shade. Yana Nesper has been offering her own high-class jewelry line since 2010. "Pearls weren't exactly fashionable back then. We knew that if we did this, we would have to reinterpret them," she says.

Instead of classic pearl necklaces or earrings, Nesper focuses on transformability – many of her pieces can be styled in different ways. One of her necklaces, for example, can be split into two and worn as a bracelet, while others are adjustable in length. Thanks to their modern elegance, her jewelry has already been featured in the Netflix series " Emily in Paris ."

Wellendorff, too, relies on innovation – and history . Now in its fifth generation, the company is run by its fifth generation and is headquartered on Alexander-Wellendorff-Straße, named after the brand's founder. Communications Director Claudia Wellendorff gives a tour of the building where the jewelry is manufactured and also commemorates the family and company history. A specially designed exhibition space showcases the company's more than 130 years of existence: from its founding in 1893, through the war and reconstruction period, to the creation of the signature diamond-studded "W," which today adorns every piece of jewelry and transformed Wellendorff from a jeweler into a brand.

Special emphasis is placed on certain pieces of jewelry that represent new manufacturing techniques developed at Wellendorff. For example, cords made of flexible gold. Used as chains, they glide smoothly through the hands and can be flexibly shaped. In the factory, an employee demonstrates how they are made: Blocks of 18-karat gold are rolled repeatedly until they are as thin as wire and can be twisted together. The origins of this technique date back to the 1970s. "As a child, my mother-in-law Eva admired her grandmother's heavy velvet curtains, which were decorated with silk cords. She loved the feeling of letting them glide through her hands. Later, she asked her husband for a necklace that felt just as delicate and silky," explains Claudia Wellendorff.

This 18-karat gold cord is now a Wellendorff trademark and represents the inventive spirit the family places great value on. Another piece of jewelry that falls into this category are bracelets, which are also characterized by their flexibility. They can be wrapped around the arm because they are crafted like a spring that springs back to its original shape. "Typically, jewelry with a spring mechanism has a steel core – not an option for us," says Claudia Wellendorff. After years of tinkering, they succeeded in achieving the resilience and stability using only gold.

While most jewelers in Pforzheim focus on women's jewelry, Leo Wittwer also offers jewelry for men. The company is jointly managed by father Frank and son Maximilian Maier. "This is an absolute growth market," says Maximilian Maier, Director of Sales and Marketing. "We recognize that more and more men are interested in wearing jewelry. There's a trend toward individuality that goes beyond watches and wedding rings." Especially in the men's segment, they therefore produce a lot according to individual requests, he explains. Many of the most sought-after pieces belong to the "Rough Cut" collection, in which the diamonds are used in their uncut state. "Each piece is automatically unique, and the special nature of the stones becomes even more visible," explains Frank Maier, Creative Director of Leo Wittwer. Other signature pieces are Leo Wittwer's solid crosses, available in variations from rose to white gold, set with diamonds.

One example is currently on display at the Jewelry Museum in Pforzheim. Designed by the renowned architect Manfred Lehmbruck, the museum is dedicated to the history of jewelry worldwide. Necklaces, earrings, and bracelets from long-gone eras and all regions of the world can be found there. And, of course, some from Pforzheim, too; recently, Wellendorff, for example, had his own exhibition. "In 1767, Margrave Karl Friedrich of Baden laid the foundation for the gold and jewelry industry in Pforzheim that still exists today," explains museum employee Isabel Schmidt-Mappes. "Under him, a pocket watch factory and a jewelry factory were built in Pforzheim. It all began as a social project to provide educational opportunities for children from an orphanage—but this is how one of the first vocational schools in the world was born," she explains.

She believes it's an important task of the museum to make the city's history accessible, especially for people who have nothing to do with the jewelry industry themselves. It's astonishing that this branch of industry in Pforzheim hasn't degenerated into a museum, but has remained extremely active. A stroll through the studios, however, makes it clear why: everyone is aware that constant innovation and the highest level of craftsmanship are needed to defend the status quo. The fact that no one neglects its heritage in the process makes the Swabian gold town all the more endearing.

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