Letter signed by Hans Stern (1963)

The founder of knee pads Hans Stern borrowed the mayor of Rio de Janeiro's collection of antique watches for a book.

Letter signed by Hans Stern to Mr. Marshal Angelo Mendes de Morais. One page. In Portuguese. 21.2 cm x 29 cm. Rio de Janeiro, March 29, 1963. Good general condition, small holes on the left side and a slight stain on the upper right corner that do not harm the text of the letter. Single piece.

We use the gift to hand it over to Your Excellency. a copy of the book JEWELS edited by our firm.

We would like to express our thanks to the courtesy of Your Excellency. who so kindly allowed his valuable and original collection of antique watches to be photographed, whose graphic reproductions, in our book, added value to this publication.

We would be greatly honored by your criticisms or suggestions about this work, which we believe will contribute to the jewelry craftsmanship in Brazil.

Hans Stern.

Born in Germany, Hans Stern (1922 - 2007) arrived in Brazil in 1939, aged seventeen, fleeing Nazi persecution with his parents. He found a job at a small stone import and polishing company, which he fell in love with. Seeing a business opportunity, he traveled all over Brazil to buy colored stones directly from miners and, in 1945, he founded his first small store in Rio de Janeiro. This was the first stage of H. Stern's great business success, which ended up revolutionizing the history of the jewelry industry in Brazil and in the world. After more than 50 years at the head of H.Stern, Hans let the family run the company in Brazil and in over 30 countries.

Surprisingly, far removed from that world of money and luxury, Hans Stern was admired for his simplicity and discretion, he drove a VW Beetle and did not want private security; he rarely gave interviews and shunned photographers.

Passionate about and very grateful to Rio de Janeiro, his adopted city, he promoted the city and Brazil abroad all his life, as expressed in this letter to Marechal Ângelo Mendes de Moraes (1894 - 1990). He was a Brazilian military man and politician known for his position as mayor of Rio de Janeiro in the late 1940s, when the Maracanã Stadium was built, inaugurated in 1950 for the football world cup. He was also a delegate to the Paris Peace Conference, a founding member of the Latin American Parliament and a member of the Parliamentary Commission in Geneva, Switzerland... perhaps the country where he started (or expanded?) his watch collection, the subject of this letter.

Letters from the founders of large multinational companies are highly sought after by collectors, but rarely appear on the market, being carefully preserved by the companies themselves; H. Stern , one of Brazil's flagship companies, known throughout the world, is no exception.

The content of this letter - the first we have seen in 7 years - is particularly interesting as it deals with the company's expertise through its famous books and catalogues, issued in limited editions, which were eagerly awaited by customers, collectors and journalists.

Another point that draws attention, 1963, a decisive year for the brand, which opened its first store in the United States, in New York, the starting point of the spectacular expansion into Europe (Frankfurt, Lisbon, etc.).

Finally, important details, the beautiful header and the elegant signature of H. Stern complete the interests of this document.