AN END OF AN ERA.
Christoph and Alexander Wellendorff.
This story belongs to our collectors.
THANK YOU FOR 49 YEARS.
The latest rope necklaces: SILKY, COMTESSE and PRINZESSE.
On 31 July 2026 at 11.38 am, the last PRINZESSE was manufactured at our manufactory. With their departure, a special chapter in Wellendorff’s history comes to an end after 49 years.
But not the memories associated with them.
For almost five decades, the SILKY, COMTESSE and PRINZESSE rope necklaces have been a part of life’s most beautiful moments: as a token of love, as a reminder of personal happiness and as a symbol of special achievements.
Thank you to all the goldsmiths who have crafted these rope necklaces over the decades.
Thank you to everyone who has worn them, given them as gifts and passed them on.
And thank you to Wellendorff collectors around the world.
Because the true value of a rope necklace does not lie in the gold.
It lies in the memories people associate with it.
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How it all began.
1977.
As a child, Eva Wellendorff admired her grandmother’s heavy velvet curtains, which were adorned with silky-soft ropes. She loved letting them glide through her hands and was fascinated by their delicate, flowing feel.
Many years later, this gave rise to a special wish:
An 18-carat gold necklace that feels as soft as silk against the skin.
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In 1977, after two years of development work, Hanspeter Wellendorff crafted the first Wellendorff rope for his wife, Eva.
A love story gave rise to an icon which, to this day, continues to captivate with its unique blend of opposites: Solid 18-carat gold feels as soft as silk against the skin.
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THE DEVELOPMENT.
The Wellendorff rope owes its exceptional suppleness to a craft that has been preserved in our manufactory for generations.
Using wafer-thin 18-carat gold wire, the finest gold spirals are painstakingly crafted by hand and woven together to form the rope’s distinctive strands.
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THE SECRET OF THE ROPE.
Hidden within each strand is a secret soul made of 18-carat gold. It gives the rope its unique balance of stability and flexibility.
The result is something that is far more than just a necklace: The feeling of golden silk.
Do you have any questions for us?
Would you like to find out more about the history of SILKY, COMTESSE and PRINZESSE, or are you interested in the last few necklaces available?
Our Wellendorff jewellery expert will be happy to advise you personally.