Meet the Makers at MANU Schmuck

There are brands that follow trends and then there are brands that quietly build their own design language. MANU is firmly the second.

If you know their work, you can spot it instantly: Sterling silver carefully balanced with rich 22k gold details. Using solid materials and contrasting finishes for depth. Resulting in a calm, architectural and well-balanced design aesthetic. Pieces that feel considered rather than decorated.

But what makes MANU special isn’t just the jewellery - it’s the people around the table.

One Table. Seven Designers. Zero Ego.

Twice a year in Hamelin, the designers gather. Sketchbooks open. Prototypes passed around. Notes everywhere.

Seven different minds, but somehow one clear design language. That consistency has been there since the beginning, shaped by founder Ilse Ebert. And decades later, it’s still unmistakably MANU.

Hajo Delius

Creative lead. Goldsmith. Observer of everyday life.

Hajo has been with MANU since 1992, and his pieces often feel like quiet design exercises — fine lines of silver or steel paired with minimal surfaces. Graphic, thoughtful, never overworked. He’s the kind of designer who finds inspiration in objects most of us would overlook.

Anke Loose

For Master Goldsmith Anke, jewellery has to feel right in the hand before it’s right on the body. She moves seamlessly between designing and making — which is probably why her pieces feel so resolved. Balanced. Wearable. Harmonious.

Thorsten Bartels

Master Goldsmith Thorsten is happiest when the metal pushes back.

Bending sheet silver. Working it wide and smooth. Letting gold interrupt it at just the right point. His pieces have weight — not heaviness, but presence.

Susanne Weege

Susanne grew up with MANU, and you can feel that depth of connection in her work. She experiments first in paper and porcelain sheet — folding, bending, shaping — before anything becomes metal. There’s restraint in her designs. And intelligence. She protects the MANU DNA while gently evolving it.

Ralf Werner

Ralf started as an intern and was the last apprentice trained by Ilse Ebert. That kind of lineage matters. His work sits in that lovely tension between minimal and expressive. Clean lines, architectural influences, subtle drama.

The Workshop Energy We Love

What we always come back to with MANU is this: Everything is made in-house. By hand. Properly.

Verena Ergezinger, goldsmith and trained metal designer, is part of the next generation in the workshop — filing, soldering, forging. She collects 90s platform shoes and recommends Pastéis de Nata. We approve.

Anja Lehman has been with MANU for almost eight years and specialises in diamond setting and forging gold pieces. She loves making earrings. She’s also apparently in charge of precision cake slicing — which tells you a lot about the atmosphere there.

Anke K Behind every piece of jewellery is true craftsmanship – Anke is one of the master goldsmiths who bring our design ideas to life in the workshop. She originally got to know MANU through an internship with our founder Ilse and has now been working in our goldsmith's workshop and as a designer for 15 years. And it is precisely this combination of craftsmanship and design that she likes about her job. When Anke is not in the workshop, she loves to enjoy the freedom and tranquillity of nature. 🌿 Her absolute travel recommendation: paddling in the Spreewald!

There’s seriousness about craft, but there’s also personality.

Silver & Gold — The MANU Signature

We’re often asked what defines MANU. It’s simple:

• They use solid metals (no plating here).
• Their work is contemporary and timeless (no seasonal hype here).
• Their design is clean (no excessive flourishes here).
• They combine silver and gold in a way that feels architectural and considered.
• They add pearls, diamonds, darkened finishes or contrasting textures — but always with restraint. And that’s not easy.

Why It Works at DesignYard

We love that it all begins with a gathering of individual designers around a large table - many signatures working together to create one shared design language. MANU fits into our world because it’s thoughtfully handmade jewellery. Work that matches our collectors' wishes for pieces to live in. Pieces that layer beautifully. Pieces that don’t date.

If you're in the neighbourhood pop in to see their extensive collection. Or browse the collection on our website.