The founders of BERML JEWELRY for MEN, Brad and Evert met in the era before the instant connections of social media, when chance encounters still sparked lasting bonds. Remember that?

Their friendship ignited at a secret underground party, where an eclectic crowd and thumping beats drew two strangers together.

Little did they know that this random meeting would lead to something extraordinary years later.

From contrasting backgrounds.
Their backgrounds seem worlds apart.

Evert was raised in a religious, somewhat conservative Afrikaner family as Apartheid's grip loosened on South Africa. An evolving social landscape redirected his path to an English all-boys high school, unlocking a curiosity for other cultures. Fueled by insatiable ambition, Evert blazed an unconventional career trail that zigzagged from the recording studio as an A&R manager to advertising sales for print publications, ultimately arriving at business development and eventually joining his dad in the family diamond business.

Meanwhile, Brad hopscotched across the African countryside, from the Vaal Reef gold mines to the Swaziland mountains and the Natal beaches. Despite this nomadic childhood, he found himself drawn to creative pursuits from an early age, working at a jewelry store as a teenager.

Though he started at university pursuing chiropractic medicine, Brad couldn't deny his artistic calling and switched to film and television production. For years, he lived a cinematic double life - climbing the corporate ladder at a bank by day while pursuing his genuine love of art and music by night.