The Swiss, family-owned House of Gübelin is known for its exquisite high-end jewellery, gemstone expertise, and as purveyors of some of today’s most sought-after luxury watch brands. Its story begins in 1854 with the opening of a small watchmaker’s shop in the Swiss city of Lucerne. In the 1920s Gübelin opened its own jewellery atelier and at the same time set up a small gemmological laboratory to test the authenticity of the stones its jewellers used. It also continued making and repairing fine watches. The Gübelin Jewellery Atelier has become known globally for its exquisite, handcrafted pieces which celebrate the beauty and mystique of magnificent gemstones. The Gübelin Gem Lab, based in Lucerne and with branches in Hong Kong and New York, has grown into one of the most renowned and respected institutions of its kind. An important pioneer of the Gübelin family was Eduard Josef Gübelin (1913, Luzern – 2005, Luzern). He studied mineralogy in Zurich and Vienna and went to the United States, where he became only the second European to be certified by the renowned Gemological Institute of America. Eduard Josef invented a number of new instruments on his own. He became one of the world’s leading gemmologists. He was the guiding spirit, embodying the unique combination of beauty and knowledge that defines Gübelin to this day.
