Betty's favorite jewelry store was Friedländer's on Unter den Linden

Iconic facade of the Friedländer building on Unter den Linden.

Betty's favorite jewelry store was Friedländer's on Unter den Linden

• Oct 08, 2020
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You may have noticed that several of Betty Wohlgemuth's exquisite jewelry pieces listed in Hilda's 1962 declaration were sourced from the prominent jewelry business Gebrüder Friedländer, purveyors to the emperor, located on the prestigious boulevard Unter den Linden. 

A pair of hanging diamond earrings, originally purchased at Friedländer's by Betty's stepmother Bertha Katz, were copies of a design made by Friedländer's for Empress Auguste-Viktoria, 1858-1921, the wife of Wilhelm I.

A diamond-studded platinum watch bracelet from Friedländer's had been a gift to Betty from her husband Isaak Wohlgemuth. The third piece, a diamond clip brooch, Betty evidently purchased from the store herself. 

Friedländer's was a Jewish-owned jewelry and luxury goods store that you can think of as the equivalent of Tiffany's on Fifth Avenue in New York. In its heyday during the German imperial period, Friedländer's was the place to purchase an extravagant gift. It is no wonder Betty treasured the three jewels from the store.

Here from an online antiques website is an excellent article about the history of Gebrüder Friedländer, including its eventual aryanization.