About Bruno Moser
- Born in 1928 in Zurich, Switzerland
- Attended the art school, Kunst Gewerbe schule, in Basel
- Received a goldsmith certificate in 1949
- Travelled to Australia in 1949 and worked in one of Sydney’s finest jewelry houses
- A year later, went to the opal mining town of Andamooka for one year where he learned to cut and polish opal
- Established own jewelry business in Sydney from 1954 to 1962
- Returned to Andamooka in 1962 and set up business buying, cutting and exporting opals to Europe, Asia and the United States
- After 12 years, moved the business to Adelaide and started incorporating his love of sculpture into the cutting of opals. Now producing miniature sculptures for fine jewelry and objet d’art. Also using a variety of other gemstones.
Got to see the Bruce-Bruno collection for jewelry that distance themselves from other high-end accessories, says Bruce Harding, director of the Bruce Co. in Kyoto, Japan.
With Swiss partner-cutter Bruno Moser, Harding is privately exhibiting their exciting new line at the Takaragaike Prince Hotel in Kyoto on November 5 to 6. “My style is not hard, not flashy. I’m not looking to shock anyone; I look for balance between the stone and workmanship.
“I don’t make for a fashion, not for an era or an image. I only make (jewelry) to enhance the stones, to make them timeless,” Harding said in an interview in Bangkok, where his collection is manufactured by Beauty Gems Co. Harding’s main client is Urai Co. of Japan, famed for their traditional kimonos. Urai insisted that the Bruce-Bruno line be manufactured by Beauty Gems, where a business relationship was already established, says Harding. Urai, with connections to Seibu, sells to major jewelry stores, and high market stores in Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo and Kyushu. Urai Co. also is to open offices in Sydney, London and Belgium next year, Harding said.
Harding travels to Bangkok every six weeks, working with Beauty Gems’ finest craftsman and designers including Ms. Sujittra Trisin, a prize winner at Bangkok’s Colored Stone Design Competition last year. “I’m a 360-degree man. I check each piece.” said the 35-year-old Australian, a one-time commercial diver. “I maintain my quality and I don’t allow anybody to okay anything”
Attention to small details is shared by 62-year-old Moser, whose cutting of all stones is envied by his counterparts in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany, says Harding. “Nobody in the world has been able to emulate his style or cut his style, which is completely his own style. It’s very naturalistic and all his shapes are free-flowing, with the front and back appearing very different. Bruno’s style is devoid of limitations.”
Moser buys roughs from Idar-Oberstein, India and Brazil and has sold to Tiffany and Co. and Mikimoto. With opals, Moser is able to take out the sand, the cracks and other weak pints and produce superb cuts, Harding said.
Two years ago, Harding sold Moser’s stones loose to a Japanese client, who admired the cuttings that formed zodiac-based jewelry. Thai client returns to Harding for finished jewelry that is “part fantasy, and part reality.” Picture Pegasus worn on the shoulder and holding three rows of cultured pearls, with the fourth row worn under the armpit; an agate forms the horse’s wing complemented with diamond-studded hooves.
An item could take six months to manufacture from the time the gemstones are chosen to finished form, said Harding, who comes here to put in orders. Beauty Gems will take another month to process the order before the factory actually makes the piece, he added.
“I make sure that all my pieces can be worn. I try to make them useable. A brooch can be worn as a pendant, or detachable centerpieces. I like them to be diversified, and to be worn differently. I try to make them so nobody can calculate how much they are worth,” said Harding, whose minimum order is 20 pieces.
“My line is soft, and made to be worn,” said he, whose jewelry are mostly priced over 10,000 U.S. dollars.