Antonio Bernardo
Antonio Bernardo was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947. His contact with the world of goldsmiths started when he was still a child, through his father, Rudolf Herrmann, whose shop sold tools and components for manufacturing jewelry and watches. In 1968 he went to Lausanne, Switzerland, to study at the CFH (Centre International de Formation de l'industrie Horlogère Suisse), an international center for research and further education in the watch industry. At the same time, he worked as an intern at institutes and companies in the watch making industry.
When he came back from Europe, in the early 70's, he went to college at PUC University, in Rio de Janeiro, to study engineering. However, compelled by the force of his creative impulse, he decided to drop out of college to dedicate his time to research goldsmith techniques and jewelry design. For almost a decade he worked at his home workshop dedicating himself to the manufacture of jewelry. He attended workshops, explored the potentialities of metals, the operation of the tools he had known since childhood, and learned how to effectively make jewelry.
By this time, Antonio had already compiled a considerable list of customers through word of mouth, and for this reason, in 1981, he opened his first store at Shopping da Gávea, Rio de Janeiro, launching the company that bears his name. This was a milestone in the process of transition from self-taught designer, a mix of artist and technician, to entrepreneur, and would culminate in the opening of the workshop in Jardim Botânico.
At this third phase of his career, Antonio established himself as one of the pioneers in Brazil, creating a trademark of jewel design bearing his name, and thus launching his authorship all over the country.
