The predecessors

Jakob Bengel

The Jakob BENGEL company was founded in 1873 in Idar-Oberstein (Germany) and initially manufactured watch chains.

During the 1920s, the company started designing and manufacturing jewellery, but it was following the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts in 1925 that Jakob BENGEL developed rapidly and became highly successful. At that time, this jewellery was very popular with the French, and it appears that there was a very large number of retailers. It was also exported throughout the world.

With its elegant and unusual settings, this jewellery is still thoroughly contemporary in style, combining chains, twists of metal, small tubes, chrome metal elements mixed with coloured GALALITH in the geometric shapes typical of the 1930s.

This was a very prolific period for design, with very high quality production; some of this jewellery can still be found today in perfect condition. This jewellery is the reflection of past times, but thoroughly contemporary in conception and design.

There were of course other jewellery-makers at that time who used GALALITH combined with metal elements, but they never achieved the reputation of A.BONAZ and J.BENGEL.

Also see : Auguste Bonaz

Bengel 1

Jewels made by J.Bengel

Bengel 2

Jewels made by J.Bengel

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