Quality, imagination and craftmanship that only a master jeweller can achieve. Adrian & Meyer continues to bring form to your dream jewellery.
Jewellery is a boundless part of our everyday experience. Above all, it is an extension of love, an impression of beauty and also a sign of wealth.
Imagine owning a jewellery store in a diamond producing country like Namibia? Rolf Adrian is one. At 55, he remains the custodian of a legacy that is 111 years in the making.
In fact, Adrian & Meyer was established two years before the first diamond was discovered in Namibia in 1908 and has provided unique and timeless designs for over a 100 years. In 1987 Rolf joined his father, Peter Adrian, founder of Adrian & Meyer, quitting a job as a goldsmith in South Africa.
“I was always creative. If I didn’t do this, I would have done music or art, but working with jewellery gave me a chance to express myself,” Rolf tells Us.
He is one of Namibia’s few master jewellers and a founding member of The Jeweller’s Association of Namibia (JASSONA) that has trained over 27 jewellers to artisan level, one of the highest levels for a jeweller.
While Rolf is passionate about the creative process – making a custom wedding ring from raw liquid metal to an elegant ring is what gets his juices flowing – he has had to take up a much more important role since his father retired.
From creating one diamond pendant every two days, Rolf now oversees a complete process of working on over 53 clients a week.
“I love working closely with the client. It is important to listen and understand what they want because they might not always be articulate in expressing what they imagine.
For example, a client would want a ring with a wide gemstone, but if they have short fingers, we can advise them to get something better,” says Rolf, overseeing a workstation where Isak, his oldest employee, is shaping a Tourmaline Gemstone wedding ring.
They have a long-standing and extensive list of clienteles whose needs range from practical functionality to beautifully handcrafted custom work.
Besides being the leading watch distributor of brands such as Rolex, Tag Heuer, Rado, Tissot and other high grade brands, Adrian & Meyer also does valuation of jewellery for insurance, stringing of pearls and other services.
December and August, wedding season in Namibia, are their busiest months.
Adrian & Meyer’s goldmiths have become winners in the internationally bi-annual acclaimed NDTC Shining Light Award in 1996, twice in 2009 and again in 2011, 2013 and 2015.
And as technology advances, Rolf has always opened himself up to new methods and moving with the times. In 2006 he invested in a laser welder for which he coughed up N$250 000, and now a process that took days is completed in one, in the backroom of Adrian & Meyer.
“Coming up with new ideas is what our whole backroom staff enjoys. Since taking over ownership of the shop, I don’t get to sit on the bench much often and create jewellery as I must run the store, but that is something that I miss.
Because of our creative designs, we get a lot of tourist customers as well,” says Rolf.
When trying to meet deadlines, sometimes Rolf and the team can work up to 2am. As such, mountain cycling and swimming are what he uses to relax after a stressful week.
He is the father of Olympic cyclist, Vera Adrian, who represented Namibia at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
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