The English invented it.
The French named it.
The Riviere is the classic among diamond bracelets. “Rivière” is the French word for “river”– a flowing line of diamonds. In the United States, this range of jewellery has been known as the “tennis bracelet” ever since the day when Chris Evert’s beloved diamond bracelet flew off her wrist and onto the court during an important tennis match.
But Wempe perfected it.
The quality of a Riviere’s craftsmanship is evident in its typical rolling movement, which prevents the bracelet from twisting sideways. But the easiest way to recognise a top-quality Riviere is to look for the name “Wempe” inside its case.
A Riviere is forever.
Few other jewellery pieces are simultaneously as modern and as timeless, as sporty and as elegant as a Riviere from Wempe. Rivieres easily combine with other pieces of jewellery. A Riviere’s fascinating aura enhances the style of the woman who wears it.
It takes great craftsmanship to create a great work of art.
Excellent craftsmanship and the love of detail are the parents whose marriage gave birth to Rivieres. Comfort on the wrist, sturdiness, security and lasting value characterise Riviere bracelets. Our goldsmiths create each prong or bezel by hand, then precisely combine each element to create a fluent and enduring union. Finally, the bracelet’s ends are fitted with a secure, double-click clasp to ensure a lifetime of happiness with your Riviere from Wempe.
BY Kim
Special pieces of jewellery that have passed through Kim-Eva Wempe’s hands earn the right to bear her good name. Her name stands for the threefold combination of creative energy, profound knowledge of materials, and skillful craftsmanship. In our workshop, we select brilliant-cut diamonds with the greatest care so that we can craft Rivieres that flow in a flawlessly harmonious line. The gemstones are perfectly matched so that there are no inequalities of size or colour. In addition to these versatile designs Rivieres can also be custom-made to your personal specifications within a short time.
Nothing is harder than a high-quality diamond – except Wempe’s criteria!.
Even if two diamonds seem the same to the naked eye, they are not truly identical. No two diamonds are ever exactly alike. It takes many years of training before a specialist’s eye can accurately judge the quality of a diamond. The most important criteria are the “4 C’s”: carat (weight), colour, clarity and the quality of the cut. Only after all “4 C’s” have merged in a perfect symbiosis can a diamond become a Wempe diamond. Global guidelines exist for the appraisal of diamonds, but standards are always somewhat subjective. That is why we insist on the strictest criteria – strict enough to satisfy our discriminating standards.
The Wempe criteria: Colour.
When we appraise the colour of a diamond, we do not simply look for the prettiest colour. Just the opposite: we determine how close a diamond comes to being absolutely colourless. Essentially, we are not interested in the colour but rather in the absence of colour. The more nearly colourless the diamond, the rarer it is – and the higher the rank that we assign to it. A highly fine white diamond is extremely rare, so it is given the highest rank of all. A comparison stone serves as an absolutely objective guide against which to judge the colour of each diamond.
The Wempe criteria: Clarity.
Almost every diamond contains natural inclusions, which are like the “fingerprints” of nature. Even if these inclusions are invisible to the naked eye, they can nonetheless detract from a diamond’s brilliance. Our appraisers immediately reject a stone if its inclusions are visible to an untrained eye. A diamond with inclusions that cannot be seen under tenfold magnification is described as “flawless”. Here, too, the rating depends upon the specialist’s subjective measuring criteria. That is why Wempe’s appraisers scrutinise each stone to ensure that their appraisals attain the utmost degree of precision.
The Wempe criteria: Cut.
Only after it has been given a perfectly proportioned cut does a diamond acquire its unparalleled luminosity and utmost brilliance. The cut is the sole criterion that can be influenced by human intervention. A diamond cutter faces his most difficult decisions at the very beginning of his work. Should he cut the stone to achieve maximum brilliance? If he does, the gem will lose a substantial amount of its carat weight. Should he cut it to achieve the highest possible weight? If he does, the stone will be less brilliant. Decisions like these can only be made by our first-rate, highly experienced diamond cutters. At Wempe, we prioritise the greatest possible brilliance. That is why we only present you with solitaires whose cuts range from very good to good.
Wempe’s certificate of authenticity.
Buying a diamond is a matter of trust.
We want you to be absolutely certain that you have found the right piece of Wempe diamond jewellery, so we gladly devote plenty of time to you and offer you sound advice about your personal preferences. Furthermore, after it has satisfied all of the Wempe criteria, every solitaire that weighs 0.25 carats or more and every piece of jewellery with diamonds weighing 0.50 carats or more receives an individual number. This number, which accompanies the stone through every phase of the jewellery’s manufacture, is engraved into the finished piece and printed on its accompanying certificate of authenticity.
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