The roots of Kaufmann de Suisse began in 1942 when 14-year-old Emil Pius Kaufmann, the son of a Swiss country carpenter, came face-to-face with his destiny. With WW2 raging throughout Europe, and with the guidance of a sensitive school counselor, Emil Pius Kaufmann fell in love with precious stones and the art of jewelry making. This mystical art form transformed his life and provided the foundation and the driving force for a path filled with love and achievement for Emil and everyone his life has touched. Today, nearly 70 years later, the love affair continues.

Emil, was one of twelve children, and his days were spent doing his share of farm work. Life was not easy and every hand was needed to keep the family safe and provided for. Diamonds and precious stones were the stuff of a magical, imaginary world, not accessible to a farm boy, but as the youngest of seven boys and the champion of his five doting sisters, Emil was a diamond in the rough himself. He found found inspiration in the natural beauty of the land and wildlife in the small community of farmers in the Swiss countryside near Saint-Gall.

His free time was devoted to creating sculptures and models from the scraps of wood left over from his father’s carpentry, and so the artistic and promise of his future career gestated. Emil found beauty and wonder everywhere he looked and he began to see works of art all around him. Everything that he touched became the substance of a child’s wondrous imagination and he would spend hours at a time bringing into reality the artistry he saw in his mind’s eye. This ripe childhood imagination and the industrious expression he gave it grew into his life’s passion – the creation of luxurious and transcendent jewelry.

September 1954, after four years of apprenticeship with Saint-Gall’s master-jeweler and studying at the School of Arts and Trades, Emil set up his own space by renting a room on the second floor of 1466 Drummond Street in Montreal. He thrived in Montreal, the economic and cultural capital of Canada—with his first client ordering a golden key—which Emil took as a sign foreshadowing his own golden future – the key opening the doors to success! Emil joined forces with a former colleague, Thomas Primavesi, and the two established Primavesi & Kaufmann—their partnership would last for more than thirty years.

Word of mouth quickly spread and soon Primavesi & Kaufmann was the pre-eminent jeweler in Montreal. Year after year, every time Emil competed internationally, he was consistently honored as one of the most talented and innovative jewelers in the world, winning 5 Diamond International Awards, and culminating with the medal of the Academy, the highest distinction a jeweler can achieve. At that point in his career, Emil had been receiving praise from magazine articles; his work was displayed at the 1958 Universal Exposition in Brussels, at London’s prestigious Modern Jewelry Fair, at Expo 67 in Montreal, in Johannesburg, and in Chicago.

Emil involved his children in his love affair with jewelry. All three of his children have become an integral part of the Kaufmann de Suisse legacy.

The thirty-three year partnership at Primavesi & Kaufmann came to an end in 1988, and his children had already grown into successful, independent professionals well-suited to their roles as trusted members of the family business. Together with their father, the Kaufmanns rebuilt, restructured and give birth to a new and improved manifestation of his lifelong creative mission – each with their own place in the new Kaufmann de Suisse enterprise.

While the brothers learned the jewelry trade under their father’s paternal direction, Monica earned an MBA and worked as a financial analyst and portfolio manager in Switzerland. The Kaufmanns’ had their established boutique in Montreal and then branched out to NYC—where they opened another store on Madision Avenue.

Emil recognized Monica’s keen business acument and asked Monica to join the family business, so she left her successful career in finance—to help her father. Monica opened the Palm Beach boutique in 1994 and it was to become the most successful of all three locations. For more than 20 years, the Palm Beach boutique shined as brightly as the Florida sun—yet in 2022—Monica chose to leave Palm Beach and purchase a retail space in vibrant Delray Beach, Fl. for the next leg of the journey.

Today, Monica Kaufmann owns and operates the store at 127 NE 2nd Ave in the Pineapple Grove District of Delray—enjoys the vitality and artistic nature of the Delray community.

Kaufmann de Suisse continues in the legacy of their father and delights in creating the perfect piece for you. Being true to the art of jewelry design and jewelry making, Unlike many present day jewelers, Kaufmann de Suisse is able customize jewelry to meet your desires incorporating your own expression into your unique jewelry. When you purchase a piece of jewelry with us, you become part of our Kaufmann de Suisse family. We stand steadfast behind our products and demand of ourselves total customer satisfaction.

Your jewelry tells a story…