Editor’s Note
While many luxury brands now face mounting pressure to address sustainability and traceability, some houses have long made this their mission. As this article explores, Swiss jeweler Gübelin has pursued authenticity and transparency for over a century—a commitment that remains as relevant today as ever.
Due to concerns about sustainability and eco-responsibility, transparency and traceability are unavoidable challenges for all luxury companies, including watchmaking and jewelry. Many have recently jumped on the bandwagon, driven by increasing legal pressure. Others, rarer, have been concerned about it for a long time. Gübelin, the illustrious Swiss jeweler, has been delving into the subject for over a century. Raphael Gübelin, at the helm of the company since 2011, details the vision and achievements of the family business.
It all started exactly 170 years ago. In 1854, Gübelin was just a small watch and clock shop in Lucerne. But the brand quickly developed by introducing its first pieces of jewelry. From the beginning of the 20th century, as the industry experienced growth, the first synthetic stones appeared.
This was the first signal for the Gübelin family that a stone authentication process was necessary. The company then began issuing certificates to guarantee the provenance of its own stones. From the early 1920s, the company opened its first jewelry workshop and a small gemology laboratory. In 1923, it created the Gem Lab to ensure the authenticity of stones set on their jewelry… a function the laboratory still fulfills today, a century later.
Raphael Gübelin, who represents the sixth generation at the head of the company, explains:
Gübelin did not rest on its laurels and has always sought to improve its methods and processes. Raphael Gübelin continues:
