For its first store outside Brazil, Sauer had to be in a global epicenter of culture, art, design, and luxury, says co-CEO Gabriel Andre Sauer—and that describes New York City.
The fine jewelry company, which has six stores in Brazil, opened its international flagship boutique in November at 800 Madison Ave. on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Sauer says he appreciates New York’s interest in his family’s jewelry as well as its prolific creative scene.
“The city’s dynamic energy and its appreciation for artistry resonate deeply with our brand’s heritage,” Sauer says. “We also saw an opportunity to bring the unique narrative of Brazilian gemstones and our legacy of bold design to discerning and cosmopolitan collectors.”
Jules Sauer, a French immigrant who unearthed Brazil’s first recorded emerald, founded Sauer in 1941 in Rio de Janeiro. Today, the third-generation, family-owned jewelry brand stays true to its founder’s philosophy of the highest design standards and metaphysical symbolism, Gabriel Andre Sauer says.
To represent that in the New York boutique, Sauer found a 1,000-square-foot retail space across two floors with art deco–style windows that are a nod to Manhattan’s famed architecture, Gabriel Andre Sauer says. Its layout is like an art gallery, displaying each jewel like a treasured masterpiece.
To highlight the brand’s Brazilian heritage, the boutique features Jacaranda-wood furniture and cubist Cobogo panels, which pay tribute to Brazilian modernism, Sauer says. The store’s colors and textures also are meant to evoke the feeling of a Brazilian landscape.
The boutique’s upper floor has a salon for private appointments and custom-design meetings. It also includes an exhibition area that hosts a selection of rare gems and minerals from the Sauer family’s personal collections. Previously, these stones and minerals were housed in the family’s museum in Rio de Janeiro, Sauer says.
“Our legacy is rooted in more than just the gems themselves; it is about the stories they tell and the meticulous care that goes into transforming them into works of art,” Sauer says.
To celebrate the New York store’s opening, the brand created its new Madison Avenue collection, honoring the city and three pillars of art, nature, and spirituality, Sauer says. Highlights include the Suzanne necklace with its impressive 19 carat diamond and the Paisley earrings, which combine emeralds, diamonds, and malachite.
Sauer’s Madison Avenue store also features its latest overall collection, Ethos. Combining emeralds, tourmaline, diamonds, and lapis, the jewels seem like they are shifting shapes because of the way the stones are placed into the pieces, making them both classic and contemporary, says Stephanie Wenk, Sauer’s creative director.
Wenk says the Ethos collection is partly a result of her thoughts about what a New York jewelry collector and Sauer fan might want and what they may hope to see at the Madison Avenue store. The idea was to offer a high jewelry collection that felt like it might be just as comfortable in a museum as in a luxury jewelry boutique.
“Walking into the store should feel like stepping into a world of discovery—a journey through Brazil’s vibrant culture, natural beauty, and unparalleled craftsmanship,” Wenk says. “Above all, we aim to create an environment of warmth and welcome where clients feel inspired and cared for as they explore and artistry and meaning behind each piece.”
Top: Sauer executives Stephanie Wenk and Gabriel Andre Sauer (photos courtesy of Sauer)
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