The Stittgen Story
Our vision is to bring a personal connection and soul to the commoditized world of jewelry.
Karl Stittgen’s Legacy
Karl Stittgen arrived in Vancouver from Germany in 1952, and soon established himself as a watchmaker and jeweler in West Vancouver, a block away from our current location. In these early years Karl Stittgen became a key player in the very active artistic scene in Vancouver. Other luminaries in these formative years included Toni Cavelti (who was the resident goldsmith at Karl’s store for a time), Bill Reid, Jack Shadbolt, Tony Onley and Arthur Erickson. As Karl’s bold new designs gained international recognition, he opened Stittgen stores in Calgary, San Francisco and New York. For a time Karl took a diversion from jewelry design to interior design, only to once again concentrate his energies on his passion for jewelry by opening his beloved boutique on South Granville in Vancouver. This is where he spent his last working years, training several Master Goldsmiths and inspiring them with his timeless designs and instilling in them a commitment to integrity and the highest quality craftsmanship.
In 2009, Karl Stittgen received the Creative Achievement Award of Distinction in Vancouver at the 5th annual BC Creative Achievement Awards for Applied Art and Design. Stittgen was selected for his “profound and lasting impact on applied art and design in British Columbia.” Read more about Karl Stittgen’s award here.
Karl Stittgen’s bold yet elegant jewelry designs and his distinctly European flair live on. To this day, the Master Goldsmiths at Stittgen Fine Jewelry draw inspiration from Karl and look to him as a mentor and guide. We carry on Karl Stittgen’s tradition with designs that are timeless, elegant and unique. Indeed, our Master Goldsmiths make some of his signature pieces to this day, using the very same techniques that allow each piece to be truly one of a kind.
Read what Dupuis Fine Jewellery Auctioneers, a premiere auction house specializing exclusively in jewelry, has to say about Karl Stittgen here.
The Ginkgo Leaf Logo
The ginkgo leaf in our logo comes from the ginkgo biloba tree. Most people have heard about its medicinal benefits, but this tree has many unique features that make it a worthy symbol for our company. The tree and its unique fan-shaped leaves are not only beautiful, but also very durable. The tree can live for over a thousand years and indeed the species, which is botanically in a class by itself, has been around for over 200 million years. We strive every day to live up to this symbol of beauty, uniqueness and longevity.
