Jewelry craftsmanship

It's obvious which jewelry store the Asian tourist groups on their way between Kolinplatz and Postplatz have in their sights: the traditional Lohri store, which sells exquisite jewelry and watches at Neugasse 27. Truly a fine address, but far more than just a store for discerning and affluent customers. The historic building with the enchanting Empire-style façade is demonstrably the oldest goldsmith's house in the world. Goldsmiths and silversmiths have been at work here since 1620. Gemstones such as garnet, emerald, tourmaline, aquamarine, amethyst, morganite, peridot and citrine are still processed in the in-house atelier today, from design to realization, into artistic and sometimes colourful unique pieces and collections that will one day sparkle on hands, necks, wrists or earlobes: Maison Lohri - as the company elegantly calls itself - is a family business founded in 1970 that is now run by the second generation. The high-caliber tradition is celebrated in historically valuable walls and vaults. This was built in 1500 - in the era when the first buildings were erected on Neugasse.

High-quality jewelry is not only produced on Zug's main traffic axis. Anna Andrén Holmberg's studio is located parallel to it - on the quiet Zeughausgasse. Her jewelry pieces are of simple elegance and clearly reveal the Scandinavian signature: a minimalist style that uses clean lines and simple shapes to create a reduced, functional aesthetic. Andrén consistently uses recycled gold, silver and platinum for her jewelry. Diamonds and other gemstones she works with also come from existing pieces of jewelry or watches. Recycling high-quality material makes both ecological and economic sense.

The designer is just as happy to look after customers who want to have their own piece of jewelry repaired or adapted in her studio. Thanks to new ideas, grandmother's gold chain or great-aunt's wedding ring can be transformed into a modern piece of jewelry that will accompany the new wearer through life. In a joint discussion, the jewelry designer tries to find out in which direction the style could go, realizing time and again that jewelry expresses personality, is associated with emotions and has symbolic power. This applies to the delicate finger ring with the rock crystal set in white gold as well as the round stud earrings studded with diamonds or the long 18-carat anchor chain with the artfully twisted clasp. Many of the creations are created using CAD design software and are then printed as prototypes from the 3D printer. This means that customer wishes can be taken into account during the fitting even before the actual investment casting. However, the fact that the goldsmith's work still involves a lot of manual work is illustrated by the robust sheet metal roller fixed to the workbench, the large gas and oxygen cylinders and a diverse range of instruments and tools consisting of metal files, spring compasses, tweezers, saws, drills, cutters and pliers.

We immerse ourselves in a completely different world at Franziska Leuppi, who has been successfully running her store on St.-Oswalds-Gasse for 18 years - directly opposite the church of the same name, nestled in a picturesque and historically authentic location. The Zug native's pieces of jewelry fascinate with their great variety and radiance in terms of form, materialization and colour. Leuppi, who trained at the School of Applied Arts in Lucerne and the École d'arts appliqués in La-Chaux-de-Fonds, creates modern, daring pieces using classic goldsmithing techniques. She draws the ideas for her creations from nature, architecture and everyday life. No wonder passers-by are always fascinated by her shop window and marvel at the artfully designed rings, seductive earrings and necklaces that reveal the treasures of the world in all shades of the color spectrum. Gemstones or radiant white South Sea pearls shimmer alongside silver-grey, deep green or even black Tahitian pearls from the lagoons of French Polynesia. The interplay of high-quality materials, finely tuned proportions, fascinating contrasts and details, colors, shapes - simply "frantastic"! - is the name of the store.

Leuppi draws inspiration for her creations from her travels around the world. Thanks to extended stays in mines and pearl farms, she has also expanded her knowledge of the origin and extraction of various raw materials - valuable and formative insights into an industry in which things are unfortunately not always at their best in terms of our environmental standards and working conditions, as she admits. Leuppi has therefore been working with certified European suppliers and service providers for years, whom she trusts in terms of transparency regarding the origin and trade of precious metals, stones and pearls

As different as the design language of the two goldsmiths is, what they have in common is the joy of creating something unique with their craft and the pride of pursuing a profession that has a long tradition in Zug. As early as the Middle Ages, creative and skilled Zug residents knew how to make magnificent pieces of jewelry from precious metals and enjoyed national fame. In order to learn this demanding craft, many people from Zug trained as goldsmiths and silversmiths in Augsburg and Nuremberg in the 17th century, which were important goldsmith metropolises in Central Europe at the time, and brought their knowledge back home to refine it here.

The Catholic Church in particular had a demand for goldsmiths' work and was the main customer for this emerging trade at the time. It had chalices, crosses, busts, censers and candlesticks made for the liturgy.