Convertible jewelry reaches a level not before seen in the recently launched Hera Jewels line from the Gebruder Schaffrath brand. The German-engineered and Italian-made jewels feature rings that can expand multiple sizes to become a larger ring (no sizing required), or rings that can additionally convert from a ring to a bangle bracelet and back again.

Suggested retail prices for a basic 18k gold style with no stones starts at €4,000. The patented styles have been in research, development, and testing for several years until a perfect model was produced, with Schaffrath and partners “analyzing all break points,” according to Edoardo Gama, a company managing director.

Wempe in New York City was the first store in the U.S. to carry the jewels in fall 2011, though Schaffrath is also negotiating stock with a shop located in one of the casinos on the Las Vegas strip, and a store in Arizona. Within two months of sales, Wempe sold out of $50,000 of stock, Gama says. “It’s great because no man knows the ring size of a woman,” he says. Colored stones will soon be added to the mix, as well as earrings and pendants.

Ideal for those with arthritic hands—where ordinary sizes and styles become challenging to fit—Hera rings also give wearers freedom to switch up ring fingers from one day to the next, as well as effortlessly adapt to summer and winter swells and contractions.

The very first sale Gama made stateside actually took place at the Couture show last year. “That evening, the woman wore it on her thumb, and the next day, she wore it on her middle finger,” Gama recollects.

JCK