This says something about Helga Wagner, who has lived on the island of Palm Beach for the past 20 years and was given her title as the Queen of Shells by Princess Michael of Kent.
Having recently had the pleasure of meeting her and her husband, Helmut, not forgetting her dog Putzi, I realize why she is loved by whomever I have spoken with who knows her. Helga has international charm, she smiles and laughs, has never a cross word, stays calm under pressure, and can talk on so many subjects that each story is a novel.
She grew up in Tyrol, in Austria. From the age of 7, her most important goal was to become a ski racer and to be faster than anyone else. “I learned then what ambition was and I won many races. When there was a race and the other girls saw that I was competing, the usual remark was 'Oh God, Helga is in the race again so we won’t have a chance to win.'”
“When I look back at that time, I know that’s where my competitive entrepreneur drive got its first start. Like with skiing, there are so many hurdles to overcome and one can never lose one’s confidence,” she says.
Her respect for and love of nature was also developed at that time. “The Tyrol taught us how to respect what we encountered at a young age,” Helga remarked.
She made her mark in London as a model along with her sisters before coming to New York to continue her career. Around the early 1970s, Helga met and became a great friend of Eugenia Sheppard, an icon from NY who took to her and encouraged her to continue her thoughts about pearls, shells, and exploring sea beds. “She gave me so much confidence and understood just what I was doing with my designs on nature. She was one of those people you meet in life [who] guide you in a direction only to realize later on ‘how it all happened.’”
The first time Helga arrived in Palm Beach, her host, Christopher Dunphy, met her at the airport and brought her to his home. Helga was instantly in love with the area and said, “When I am ready to move, this magnificent town this is where I shall live.” Little did she realize that this was to be, and she has been there for more than 20 years.
Mind you her first experience was one that does not happen to many people! When she arrived at Christopher’s home, there were John and Jackie Kennedy relaxing with their friends. “This made a big impression on me,” said Helga. “The friendship that Jackie Kennedy showed me from that day in giving me a sweater, as I was chilly, has not left me. I just fell in love with everything American, the way of life, happiness, and the ‘American Dream.’”
Several years ago, the American Ambassador to Austria, Helene van Damm, who is a good friend of Helga’s, encouraged her to speak to graduating students in Austria to pass on this entrepreneurial spirit. Helga told them that, instead of worrying what job to find, they should find what they would really like to do and go out and start something themselves. She would also tell them about the expected hurdles, the ups and downs they would encounter.
Helga’s home is warm, inviting, and very creative—with photographs of Helga, husband Helmut (her love), and her dog Putzi, side by side with so many named personalities that could comfortably fill the U.K. magazines Queen, Tatler, and Majesty.
In 2004, Helga was invited to exhibit her shell and coral jewelry at the Musee Oceanographique in Monte Carlo, Monaco, which is also known as the Prince Albert Premier and Jacques Cousteau Museum. The exhibit was called “Parures de la Mer,”(Adornments of the Sea) and she said it was a huge success. Several pieces of her jewelry are still exhibited there now.
Helga’s jewelry is for the discriminating and elegant lady. Her natural shell and coral come from the sea and her designs are all handmade. Her collection is sold in Europe, the USA, Japan, and the Far East and is worn by many celebrities, royalty, and elegant women around the world. She is the leading international designer of shell and coral jewelry for the discriminating lady.
Helga exemplifies a lady of passion and sophistication, whether piloting a helicopter, skiing the slopes in her native Austria, or scuba diving among her favorite jewels of the sea. She lives life with refined elegance and a love for the natural beauty that surrounds us as she creates the original designs that are popular among those who appreciate the beauty of nature. She is an ardent environmentalist and naturalist, and says: “When I scuba dive, I see colors together that give me a natural approach to my designs.”
“My goal was always very clear to me: to make women more beautiful. I design jewelry made of shells, corals, freshwater pearls, semiprecious stones, etc. I wanted to create jewelry that one could travel with—beautiful, elegant, not too expensive, but real! There is just nothing more real than NATURE!" Helga Wagner, designer, says.
Harold Leighton lives in Boca Raton, FL where he works in, writes about and loves the beauty industry.
All Photos: Glenn Heino—photographer: gheino@premierimagestudios.comAssisted by: Carol Loomis, Joe Pizzarello, Jeanette Febres
Makeup: by Georgio
Hair: Harold Leighton
All products by: Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy
