Designer Rudolf Erdel Dies Kayaking at Age 35

West Hampton, N.Y.-Little more than a week after his worldwide launch of a new platinum jewelry collection, designer Rudolf Erdel died last month in a kayaking accident here.

Erdel, 35, left his East Moriches summer cottage May 2 to kayak at Cupsogue Beach, according to news reports. Less than two hours later, his body was found in the surf several hundred yards from an empty kayak. Southampton police believe Erdel drowned, but did not have a medical examiner's report at press time.

After a memorial service in New York, the designer was buried in his native Germany.

His death cuts short an American jewelry designing career that started in 1992, when Erdel created OE Designs, New York, to expand the sales of his family's European jewelry manufacturing company. With his innovative design style and love of platinum, Erdel emerged as a pioneer in the industry's rebirth of platinum jewelry and worked closely with the Platinum Guild International to bring the white metal to the forefront of fine jewelry fashion.

"We're all in absolute shock. Just an incredible, incredible person has left us. But his spirit and his passion will remain as an inspiration to us," said Laurie A. Hudson, director of the Platinum Guild USA.

The designer was also among those who led the industry into the idea of branding. With an advertising firm headed by his wife, Luly Estevez, Erdel emphasized the establishment of his name and designs with advertising campaigns in consumer magazines.

"His ad campaigns were very well done and very successful. He was very in touch with his age group-anywhere from 22- to 45-year-olds," said Cheryl Joseffe, buyer at Lux, Bond & Green in Hartford, Conn. "It's a shame that such an up-and-coming, sophisticated designer should be taken so young and so tragically."

Erdel's short but stellar career included collaborations with such notable names as Paloma Picasso for Tiffany and fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, for whom Erdel helped design the Angel Rings collection. He and Estevez were strong supporters of not only the U.S. and European jewelry industries, but also the Latin American market.

Among his plans for 1998 were to expand his presence in the Caribbean, begin a new national advertising campaign, open designer boutiques, and-at the Couture Collection and Conference-announce the launch of his bridal collection. According to a company spokeswoman, Erdel's wife, Estevez, now intends to carry out their dreams for Rudolf Erdel Platinum.

Erdel's ambitious plans were no surprise to jewelers who worked with him and remember his tremendous energy.

"He had a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for the industry and what he was doing for it," said Hank Siegel, president of Hamilton Jewelers in Lawrenceville, N.J.

At a press conference during the recent Basel Show, Erdel introduced what would be the last collection he debuted, saying then that he hoped the jewelry would be considered "timeless."

"I want to create a look that will continue well into the next century," Erdel told National Jeweler. "I want to create something that's timeless and classic so that people 50 years from now will look and say it's beautiful."

Erdel is survived by Estevez, his wife of about one year; his father, Erich Oeding-Erdel; a brother, Thomas; sisters Christiane, Dorit and Uta; and an aunt, Ingar.

Erdel's family requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the charity Habitat for Humanity, 334 Furman St., Second Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201.