Search
Creative Minds

Creative Mind: Stephanie Wenk

Brazil’s geology, culture, and craftsmanship are at the heart of everything Sauer’s creative director does

By Lucy Rees
Person in a navy suit crouching against a gray background, looking directly at the camera.
Stephanie Wenk. Photo: MARCELO GUARNIERI

It’s not easy to take an esteemed jewelry house steeped in 85 years of history and propel it into the future. But that’s exactly what Stephanie Wenk has done with Sauer, a Brazilian company founded in 1941. “My role is to carry that lineage forward while expanding how it can be expressed today,” says Wenk, who took over as creative director in 2014 and recently opened the house’s first U.S. boutique, on Madison Avenue in New York. “The original spirit of discovery, experimentation, and respect for natural materials remains at the heart of the brand, but I pair it with contemporary design languages and cross-disciplinary collaborations.”

Design philosophy: Sauer is recognized for its bold, sculptural forms and use of striking rare stones mixed with unconventional elements like ceramic or wood. “I love pairing the refined with the raw, the ancient with the contemporary, allowing unexpected materials to elevate one another.”

Black and silver earrings with green center stones, featuring a flower-like design on a white background.
Alma Motus earrings with emeralds, onyx, and diamonds. Photo: COURTESY OF SAUER
Black cord choker with a gold oval pendant featuring a speckled turquoise stone.
Core pendant with a 28.23-carat cabochon opal. Photo: COURTESY OF SAUER
Gold ring with a rectangular green gemstone in the center, featuring a bold, sculptural design.
Sauer Spina Ring. Photo: COURTESY OF SAUER

Artful inspiration: Brazil’s geology, culture, and craftsmanship are at the heart of everything Wenk does. “The landscapes shape my understanding of organic geometry, while the country’s architectural lineage—especially the rigor of Oscar Niemeyer and Lúcio Costa—informs my sensitivity to curves.”

For me, jewelry doesn’t just adorn, it expands”

Stephanie Wenk

Up next: The Axis collection—which highlights signature Sauer stones such as emeralds, Paraíba tourmalines, and rubellites, as well as archival opals—explores themes of orientation and orbit. “For me, jewelry doesn’t just adorn, it expands. It lives with the skin, moves with the body, and becomes part of its anatomy rather than something simply placed upon it.”

Person in a white outfit gently holding a black swan against a dark background.
The yellow gold and lapis lazuli Paradox ring and earrings. Photo: COURTESY OF SAUER
Four hands displaying gold rings with different colored gemstones, including green, orange, red, and blue.
Sauer Axis Rings. Photo: COURTESY OF SAUER

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2026 Spring Issue in the section “Creative Minds.” Subscribe to the magazine.