Luxury Austrian jewelry brand expands its China operation

Austrian enamel jewelry brand Freywille celebrated the opening of its new boutique at WF Central in Beijing this week.

The opening ceremony was attended by Wolf Dietrich Heim, the Austrian ambassador to China, and Franz Roessler, commercial counselor at the Austrian embassy, who joined brand representatives in officiating the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The event marked a new step in Freywille's expansion in China and reflected the growing cultural and artistic exchange between Austria and China.

To commemorate the occasion, the brand hosted a special chamber concert titled Golden Quartet: A Freywille Musical Sonnet. The performance combined classical music with visual elements inspired by jewelry design, underscoring the intersection of art and craftsmanship.

According to Friedrich Wille, CEO and owner of Freywille, the brand was founded in 1951 by Viennese artist Michaela Frey. In the early 1970s, Wille joined the company as a partner and expanded its market from Austria, the United Kingdom and Germany to France, Italy and Spain. Today, the brand operates globally.

"We are goldsmiths, artists and craftsmen dedicated to the art of fire enamel. Each Freywille piece is an independent, new artistic creation — this is the core spirit of our brand," Wille said.

"We select master artworks, immerse ourselves in the lives and artistic worlds of the masters, and transform timeless inspiration into wearable eternal art through multiple layers of enamel glaze and high-temperature firing."

Wille added that the company does not engage in mass production, instead focusing on the craft of fired enamel, with all pieces handcrafted in its Vienna workshop.

"Each piece is meticulously polished by artisans, painted with multiple layers of enamel, and finally adorned with 24K gold dust and our exclusively formulated pigments to ensure the perfect expression of the artistic design. Each layer of enamel must be fired at a high temperature of 800 C," he said.

The new boutique also marks an expanded collaboration between Freywille and the Melchers Group, a renowned German corporation.

Mike Hofmann, managing director of Melchers Consumer Business in China, said: "Freywille stands out in the jewelry industry with its unique artistic DNA. We see tremendous potential in China's high-end art jewelry market. This cooperation is built on our extensive experience in bringing European consumer brands to China, and Freywille will open a new dimension for our luxury portfolio."