Spotlight On: Rudolf Heltzel

We are delighted to show you an exquisite collection by the icon of Irish craft and design, German born Rudolf Heltzel. We have a selection of his fine art pendants, exquisite cocktail rings, and exceptional engagement rings produced by Rudolf, who was surely one of the finest jewellery designers in the world. Rudolf is renowned for his art pedants, made with exceptional gems and expertely handcrafted in Kilkenny.

For Rudolf, jewellery-making is part of a living cultural heritage which takes inspiration from the history, mythology and symbolism through manipulation of precious metals and stones. Rudolf Heltzel has made his passion for creating distinctive jewellery a reality. and his pieces are collector’s items with four generations owning and wearing Rudolf Heltzel. He has shown his jewellery creations in exhibitions in Japan, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, the U.K., Denmark, Sweden and U.S.A.

Early years.

In 1956, at the age of 16, he studied at the Meisterschule für das Kunsthandwerk in Berlin. He was admitted thanks to his exceptional talent, despite the college policy of not admitting anyone under 18. He started working with acclaimed Silversmith Max Olofs, Germany, making baptismal fonts, taberbacles, chalices and other mainly ecclesiastical items. But soon moved on to Stockholm to work with Sigurd Persson, one of the most influential Jewellery and Industrial Designers of the 1950s and 1960s. Rudolf worked there first as a Silversmith and then as a Goldsmith.

A couple of years later, in 1966, An Córas Trachtala / The Irish Export Board invited Rudolf to Ireland to establish a Jewellery and Metalsmithing workshop at the newly formed Kilkenny Design Workshops. He was instrumental in establishing the original Design and Crafts Council Jewellery Skills Training course. Throughout his career he continued to champion training opportunities for jewellery makers and advocated keeping ancient traditional skills alive, both in Ireland and abroad.

In 1968 he opened Rudolf Heltzel working as an independent designer and maker of high-end jewellery and holloware with a studio in Kilkenny, where his son Christopher and his co-workers and apprentices still work today.

Over the past six decades, Rudolf Heltzel has gained an international reputation for the originality and quality of his work, each piece having a timeless aesthetic, crafted meticulously by hand using some of the world’s oldest jewellery techniques. His timeless designs and impeccable workmanship have won him international acclaim.