Jürgen Kammler finds himself in a position in life that many would envy. He spends his time working with one of the most beautiful gems; in an idyllic location in the Northern Territory of Australia; employed by the leading pearl company in Australia. But it is a position this talented designer well deserves.
Swiss born Jürgen Kammler began his jewellery apprenticeship in 1974 in the famous German jewellery town of Schwäbish Gmünd. Not long after finishing this apprenticeship, he threw himself into another course at the Master School and during this course he decided to submit an entry into the prestigious De Beers “Diamond Today” international design competition.

Kammler’s simple elegant concept was a winning one and he walked away with first prize, and with it new opportunities. Winning the competition opened the door for the chance of an interview with the famous Renée Kern store in Düsseldorf, one of the leading jewellers in Europe. There he was immediately employed as a Designer/Master Goldsmith, a position in which he thrived; being in the creative hub of Europe’s finest jewellery environment.

However, Kammler was bitten by the travel bug and set off to visit India, Kashmir, China, Australia and New Zealand. He found the experience an important one not just for his wanderlust but also as a boost for his creative ideas. Inspiration from his travels influenced his ideas for jewellery designs and developed his talents further.

After returning to Germany, he went to work for the brand Christian Bauer where he spent many years under the tutelage of the CEO Dr. Frieder Keller-Bauer; a great thinker and visionary. It was during this time that Christian Bauer developed as a company and moved into the American market as an established brand. An exciting time for Kammler and the company.

But travelling had made Kammler eager to look for other opportunities and when an Italian friend saw a position for a jewellery workshop manager in an Australian newspaper, he sent his resume to Marilynne Paspaley, the Executive Director of Paspaley’s retail division.

With Kammler’s credentials worthy of attention he was interviewed in Europe and the Paspaley family subsequently invested their faith in Kammler by hiring him in January 2000.

Under the vision of Marilynne Paspaley to design exquisite hand-made jewellery for the Paspaley retail showrooms in Australia, Kammler had the happy task of working with Marilynne Paspaley to build a state-of-the art workshop on the edge of Darwin’s picturesque Cullen Bay, a perfect place for inspiration.

Here, he and an equally passionate team, produce unique, inspirational designs showcasing the incomparable beauty of the South Sea pearl which has pride of place in the Paspaley showrooms.

Today we see the stunning result in Paspaley’s latest collections designed by Jürgen Kammler. The Embrace collection in 2001, where simple clear lines made the pearl into the hero of their jewellery.

The Unique collection of 2002 is a playful exploration and display of the unique shapes and colours of South Sea pearls.

The Bella collection in 2003 was inspired by the natural beauty and vitality of youth and showed pearl jewellery in a stunning new light.

And finally in 2004, Kammler turned to his growing passion for the sea and his life by the sea as the inspiration for the outstanding collection Embrace the Sea.

JÜRGEN KAMMLER
Paspaley Pearling Company
19 The Mall
Darwin NT 0800
Australia
Tel: +61 8 89825555
Fax: +61 8 89825502
www.paspaleypearls.com