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A well-seasoned traveller, the man behind one of Europe’s largest fine jewellery

houses eventually discovered his biggest inspiration a little closer to home, as

Tracey Porter discovers.

Un ique Luxu r y 7

A VERY DANISH DELIGHT

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Her name is unknown to many. Yet Karin Lynggaard might yet be the best thing ever to have emerged out of the Copenhagen design scene.

For it was Karin who after first laying eyes on him in Paris, the city of love, had the good sense to marry a talented young goldsmith who went by the name Ole. It was she who cleverly produced two offspring who committed themselves to the family business later choosing life partners also involved in the process of jewellery production.

And it is her whose imprint can be seen on every timeless piece released by the popular Danish brand after faithfully serving as her husband’s muse for more than half a century.

Says Ole: “I created my first snake-piece in 1969 - a bracelet for Karin. It later served as an inspiration for our 50th anniversary collection, the Snakes Collection, launched in 2013. Karin has always been a great support for the company and has been a great inspiration in my work.”

Today the jeweller of choice to the Danish monarchy, its high-profile members including of course Australia’s own Crown Princess Mary, Ole Lynggaard first launched his eponymous label in 1963 after extensive travels across Europe and the US failed to unearth any goldsmiths producing fine jewellery that was wearable on its own but flexible enough to be matched with others.

“Before I founded my company, I travelled the world and returned to Copenhagen… full of new ideas and inspiration. I spent one year in Schwäbisch Gmünd, two years at Place Vendome in Paris and one year in New York working for jewellers, and from there I sailed off to the Middle East where I spent one year travelling around.”

Lynggaard’s very first commercial collection was an exclusive gold range with pearls and turquoise inspired by the many impressions and colours that he had experienced on his travels. Nature’s many elements continue to be a source of key inspiration for Lynggaard whose current core collections include Sweet and Dew Drops, Lotus, Snakes, Nature, Leaves and Winter Frost.

Boasting a philosophy that jewellery should be worn “for everyday and not just for special occasions”, mid level price points for the label range from around $265 for a couture sewn silk bracelet - designed to be customised from a wide range of handcrafted charms in 18kt gold that retail for around $1595 apiece.

Michel, Charlotte, Ole and Søren

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However the label has recently introduced a new accessible entry-level collection called Forest, starting from $335, that features an exquisite selection of signature handcrafted designs in silver and gold.

While Lynggaard’s materials of choice are gold, precious stones, diamonds and oxidized silver, efforts to further distance himself from the proliferation of luxury jewellery labels on the world stage have seen Lynggaard develop a unique technique where he take 18kt gold and manipulates it with a handcrafted technique to add a textured modern finish to the appearance.

The label’s Australian representative Susanna Carter says as the brand uses only the highest quality gemstones, it can sometimes prove a challenge to source the best rare stones.

“For example, our coral comes from Sicily where trained coral divers can only visit at certain times. Coral is an exceptionally rare natural stone that is limited in quantity and size. Corals are fished at 80-600m, pink coral even deeper. Corals from these depths have a stronger stone structure due to the atmospheric pressure, so they don’t easily crack when they reach the surface.

“Corals are only harvested two times a year due to their very slow growth - one cm per year - and they are therefore very limited in stock. We don’t dye our corals, and only work with corals of natural colour and it is of greatest importance to us that their colour is even.”

Most of the jewellery produced by the label is manufactured at the company workshop north of Copenhagen, in the same area where Ole Lynggaard opened his original studio. Over the past 52 years, the workshop has been extended to accommodate the brand’s growing success while also ensuring its 45 goldsmiths and 60-plus remaining design and production employees are able to work under the same roof to allow for full creative control.

Keeping his friends close and his family closer has always been important to Lynggaard and so he was naturally thrilled when

his eponymous label turned into a family business after daughter Charlotte joined the company in the late 1980s. Little did he know it was the start of a trend.

Having begun her working life at a Parisian PR agency specialising in jewellery brands, Charlotte studied her goldsmith apprenticeship before joining the company in 1987 as designer and creative director. Her brother Soren followed not long after. Soren completed a short-lived stint in Australia working as a farmer before studying economics and marketing and joined his father’s company as production manager in 1994.

Today, Charlotte’s husband Michel is the label’s chief commercial director while Soren’s wife Hanna is retail manager.

However it was the addition of another family, a royal one, which really put the brand on the map.

“The label has served the Royal family for more than 20 years and in 2008 was appointed Purveyor of The Royal Danish Court. The Royal Warrant indicates the company’s superior performance in the Scandinavian jewellery market,” says Carter.

This unique association, combined with the efforts of former and current brand ambassadors Helena Christensen, actress Connie Nelson, Aqua lead singer Lene Nystrom and Swedish model Mona Johannesson have ensured the brand is regularly sought out by its discerning customers.

And there are new ones every day. Currently sold across 25 countries, the Ole Lynggaard label opened its first flagship store outside of Scandinavia in 2013, when Crown Princess Mary helped the brand celebrate its 50th year in business by officially opening the doors to a retail spot in Sydney’s Market Street, joining the brand’s other flagships in Copenhagen and Stockholm.

In addition it has a booming wholesale business, being stocked across 300 high-end jewellery retailers globally including 20 across Australia and New Zealand.

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While the impact of a slowing global economy has been felt by many in the luxury fashion sector, Ole Lynggaard’s chief commercial officer Michel Normann says its effects have had little effect on his company which has recently launched a new website, added heightened social media activity and is actively targeting new markets.

Normann says choosing not to compromise on design, quality or concepts means the brand offers consistency to its client base.

“We do not differ from place to place or adjust to individual taste and tendencies. Being an international luxury brand… requires uniqueness and the highest quality in all aspects of our business and company.

“A slowing national or international economy has thus little impact on brands [such as ours]. On the contrary people look for real quality and uniqueness in times of a slow economy while the mainstream and in between brands have a greater possibility of suffering.”

In fact rather than maintain the status quo, Normann says the current vision for the brand is to forge new international retail and wholesale partnerships.

“This is where we focus and this is where we want to build our strength with new openings and a focus on our 300 partner concept stores. At a later stage and when we feel ready focus might include parts of Asia and the Americas.”

STOCKISTS: 1800 765 336

WWW.OLELYNGGAARD.COMCharlotte Lynggaard painting