It was one of those first crispy, but oh so sunny mornings, that announced that Spring was in the air. I was on my way to Amsterdam to meet Jannie Iwema, owner of the oldest jewelry store in the Netherlands. Bonebakker was established in 1792 (!).Jannie bought the store in 2010 and turned it into a wonderful contemporary store.
Bonebakker jewelers, just around the corner near the Rijksmuseum.
Bonebakker is situated in a beautiful building, the former conservatorium. In the building you can find a few very exclusive stores. The rest of the building is a gorgeous hotel for the very rich and or..very famous. Obviously, the position of Bonebakker in this building is a very fortunate one. Many of the clients visiting her store are hotel guests. Through the big windows you can see a busy road, the heart of Amsterdam and the famous museums like Van Gogh Museum and the recently restored and incredibly beautiful Rijksmuseum are just around the corner.
Bonebakker has a rich and very old history
When you arrive at the door of the shop, you’ll need to ring to get someone open the door for you. But whilst waiting, you can already admire some of their jewelry brands. Inside, a very tall and beautiful Jannie is waiting. She has an Englishman at the table, that’s looking at some beautiful classical colored gemstone rings. Later Jannie explains that she still keeps a very traditional collection for the older clients that used to visit Bonebakker in the past and love this kind of jewelry. But her own heart is set on much more exclusive brands.
I take the time to look around and love to see the little hedgehog ring by Boucheron. When I want to try it on, it’s so small, it fits only my little finger. But fortunately, she had more than just the one hedgehog. Of course, as usual, my eyes are drawn to the animal jewelry and I indeed fell hard for the Georland Frog ring. The store has a special room called The Wonder Room and it’s a room completely dedicated to Jewellery Theatre. This Moscow based jewelry company is famous for its organic looking jewelry. Most rings are made to stand up on display, because they should be treated as pieces of art. Maybe it’s fair to say, that Jewellery Theatre makes wearable art.
Get your very own ring designed on the spot
Jannie has a team of international jewelry talents. Some are able to design jewelry and in fact, this is what they love to do for clients. Maybe you see an engagement ring in the store, but you would like it just a little different. This is the place to go to for that kind of thing. They will sit with you and listen to all your wishes. Your ring comes to life as they start to design and if you love what you see, you’ll order right there and then your own very unique ring.
Jannie Iwema dream: Bonebakker will be the Van Cleef & Arpels of the Netherlands
One of the first things Jannie tells me, when we sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee is: it’s my dream to become the Van Cleef & Arpels of the Netherlands. See, van Cleef & Arpels is, in the eyes of many people, the most famous French Jewelry house, with jewelry made for Royalty, the elite, the rich and the famous. This is very similar to the history of Bonebakker really. If you look at the collection of Van Cleef & Arpels, I think about the classical designs, yet so fresh and so contemporary at the same time. We have created a collection that has that same idea, very classical, a lot of history put in it, yet made for the women of today. We call it the Regalia Collection and it’s based on the Dutch Crown from 1840 ( designed by Bonebakker) and we launched this collection when King Willem Alexander was crowned King in 2013. Our latest edition is a collection of keys, called the day and night keys and it’s based on the keys of Amsterdam from 1811. All the keys contain gemstones that change color in daylight and in evening light.
Jannie expresses, with passion, that for her the main values of the company are incredibly important: quality, service and innovation.And innovation is something you would expect maybe, from her. Jannie studied at the Design Academy of Eindhoven and the Istituto dell’arte dei Medici in Florence. She can think out of the box and I personally think that this, along with her positive attitude and daring character, is her strength. She can buy a company that is so famous and so old, and turn it into one of the most gorgeous, contemporary shops in Amsterdam.
Brands
The kind of jewelry that you will find at Bonebakker are Casato Gioielli, Pasquale Bruni, Pesavento, Piaget jewelry, Ole Lynngaard ( which was a discovery for me) Georland, Boucheron, Jewelry Theatre and much more. You can find all the information about the store here!
Need more reasons to visit this store?
Why you should visit this shop? The building itself is amazingly beautiful. The collections are worth your time as you will be surprised by it! ( for a group that often comes for training in the hotel, there is even a contest that is called: search for the most expensive ring in the store!...I found it immediately, but I dare you to beat me :-))) You should visit the store for the kind and very prepared staff and their attitude of really wanting you to get the ring, or piece of jewelry, you desidered and that you will cherish forever. You should visit the store to meet Jannie, as she will show you, with her enthusiasm and passion, around.
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