If it weren't for Hans, Brazil's dazzling colored gemstones - aquamarines, amethysts, topazes, citrines, and tourmalines -wouldn't be as well known and as highly valued as they are today. Until only a few decades ago, jewelers were interested only in the colored stones that were prized and valued at that time: emeralds, rubies and sapphires.

Enchanted by the beauty of the stones he found in Brazil, H.Stern's founder consciously created a business for himself out of this lesser known "market niche". In 1945, he sold his most valuable possession, a Hohner accordion - the only souvenir he had brought when he left his native Germany in 1939, just before WWII. The $200 he raised from that sale, plus a small bank loan, helped him open shop and start his ambitious plan: He wanted to make the country of samba and soccer also known as the country of colored gemstones.

He invested in quality, creating in 1949 an International Warranty Certificate to attest to the value of his jewels. He started a strong marketing campaign to promote his brand to tourists visiting Brazil. In 1949, the first H.Stern store opened, at the Rio de Janeiro docks, the point of arrival for international passenger cruise ships. Soon thereafter, Hans opened his second store, at the Quitandinha Hotel, in Petropolis, then a famous resort town. They were quickly followed by other shops in the recently built airports in Rio and other cities.

At the same time, Hans invited European goldsmiths and lapidaries to help him set up his own workshops and to expand his production capabilities for finished products.