Grosse

In 1907, the famous watchmaker and jeweler from the town of Pforzheim Germany, saw the establishment of a small hair jewelry company that would go on to become a household name and would bring about some of the most sought after designs in the fashion and jewelry world. Heinrich Henkel and his brother-in-law Florentine Grosse established the South-Germany Gold and Hair Jewelry - Heinrich Henkel and Co, now known as Henkel and Grosse.

After World War I, the firm explored designs utilizing new materials such as bronze, aluminum, wood, bakelite and galalite. Signing contracts with Lanvin and Schiaparelli in Paris, Harrods in London, and Saks in New York provided financial security and ensured the company could continue employing the best jewelry makers of the time. Eight years after Christian Dior presented his first haute couture collection, Corolle, better known as New Look, in 1955, the legendary designer insisted on working with Henkel & Grosse. It was a cause for a lot of controversy at the time, as French fashion houses commonly worked with their own local artisans and jewelers. The deal was signed; Dior would design and Grosse produce whatever Dior would envision.