Wempe Taps Tiffany Alum to Build Its First Standalone Fine Jewelry Line

By Karen Dybis | November 06, 2026

Wempe exemplifies how a growing number of fine jewelry brands are leveling up through the addition of creative directors, using their industry expertise and marketing prowess to connect with the hard-to-reach luxury consumer.

The Germany-based brand brought in Tiffany & Co. alum Patrick Sieroslawski as its creative director in January 2024, and he says the new au:thentic collection shows the power of a curated, singular design language as well as how long-term strategy can surpass fast fashion.

“A lot of brands want to play it safe and Wempe did not play it safe. They were really open to doing something new,” Sieroslawski says.

Over the past several years, brands including Ippolita, Hearts On Fire, and Shinola have brought in new creative directors to boost their collections and establish clear brand voices.

For example, Hearts On Fire now has several new jewelry collections that seek to capture younger consumers as well as its established clients; Shinola added Coach and Tiffany vet Jonathan Bailey to its roster as it sought a stronger position as a U.S. watch and leather brand in a largely Switzerland-based business.

Wempe authentic — *Patrick Sieroslawski says Wempe’s original one-line brief was to create a unisex jewelry line; he created au:thentic as a result.*

Sieroslawski comes to Wempe following a seven-year tenure at Tiffany, where he is among the designers credited for developing its iconic Lock collection and is named on a patent associated with the design. Over his 24-year jewelry career, he also has worked with brands such as Shaun Leane and Fernando Jorge.

Wempe debuted au:thentic in May 2026 in Europe, but expanded the contemporary, minimalist collection in October for the first time in the United States with a second phase. Sieroslawski says his goal was to create a recognizable, iconic collection for Wempe, providing everything from entry-level to high jewelry for the brand. Prices range from $690 for a simple ear stud to $24,175 for a diamond-covered bangle.

“Because Wempe is a multi-brand retailer, I felt like what they really needed was a collection that was a good foundation and storytelling around it,” Sieroslawski says.

Wempe gave Sieroslawski a one-line brief to start: Make a unisex jewelry collection. He told the brand he needed time to research, so he visited its stores in Germany, France, Spain, and the United States. He observed. He researched. He absorbed the vibe. And, just as people were starting to get nervous, Sieroslawski says he reassured them—he never misses a deadline.

wempe authentic rings — *Wempe’s new au:thentic collection is made in 18k white and yellow gold and brilliant-cut natural diamonds, like in these rings.*

The first shift was to create the Wempe atelier, a sign to the client that this is a different area within the larger brand. Next was to show Sieroslawski’s singular offering to the owners with the collection’s name, a nod to gold (the chemical symbol Au) and to authenticity. The brand also introduced the phrased approach, laying the groundwork slowly to build up anticipation but also ease the client into the new story around Wempe.

Was it worth the wait? Sieroslawski thinks so. Truly, the au:thentic collection shows Sieroslawski’s deft design approach and industry knowledge. It is based on the jump ring, one of the first techniques he says he learned during his goldsmithing apprenticeship. He reimagined it as the collection’s central element—only elevated in 18k white and yellow gold with brilliant-cut natural diamonds. It also has sharp lines, such as a knife edge, which can be augmented with gemstones.

“I love the jump ring because it is super-simple. You can reduce it to its elements and still make something recognizable. And what Wempe needed—or what any brand needs—is something recognizable,” Sieroslawski says. “At Tiffany, you have the padlocks and the T. At Cartier, you have the panther and the Love bracelet.”

The gender-neutral collection includes necklaces and earrings in various sizes and lengths, which allows au:thentic to be layered. Single- and double-row rings are engineered in Germany to interlock, allowing the wearer to put multiple pieces together. They also are ideal for mixing and matching with a client’s existing jewelry, Sieroslawski’s nod to the self-purchasing woman who wants to create her own look.

Sieroslawski says he joined Wempe because he wanted the kind of freedom a creative director’s role allows. He can think. He can breathe. He isn’t chained to a cubicle. It isn’t design by committee or using only the archive to come up with future designs. Wempe gave him creative license, and he went for it. The ideas flowed.

Wempe authentic earrings — Wempe’s au:thentic also leans into jewelry that can be worn multiple ways, such as this earring ($2,855) with one 0.07 ct. brilliant-cut diamond in 18k yellow gold; it can be worn simply or across the ear for a more modern look.

“The designing happens in my head. So, I can be sitting on the train. I can be sitting on the beach. Most recently, I was at an electronic dance concert, listening to the music with my eyes closed and dancing. But in my mind, I was working on some pieces for the collection in 2029,” Sieroslawski says. “It’s how I start organizing. And, then, the next day, I started working on the collection at my dining table on my laptop.”

One of his efforts is to travel regularly between his Los Angeles home and the Wempe Atelier in Schwäbisch Gmünd in southern Germany, where jewelry has been produced since 1891. This kind of industry knowledge allows Sieroslawski to work directly with goldsmiths, engineers, and computer-aided designers. They work collaboratively, he says, and the jewelry is better for it.

Subsequent phases of au:thentic will show what Wempe’s craftspeople can do, he adds, exploring additional gold alloys, including rose, as well as new clasp mechanisms and gemstone-setting techniques. The third phase is scheduled to drop in May.

The collection is a story of human connection and relationships in all of its twists and turns, Sieroslawski says. But, at its core, it’s about beauty and evolution—something essential that Wempe wants to exemplify in its first truly independent fine jewelry collection.

“With this collection, there’s no compromise. It’s exactly how I envisioned it,” Sieroslawski says. “When you hold one of our pieces of jewelry, it feels solid. It feels like a real jewelry treasure.”

Top: Wempe in October introduced the second phase of its au:thentic collection with its new creative director Patrick Sieroslawski. (Photos courtesy of Wempe)