Allemann Goldschmied

Goldsmiths have been at the bench in Allemann Goldschmied's Bern house since 1919. The atelier on the Grabenpromenade was handed down from the founder, Emile Forestier, to Boris Allemann, today's owner. The old wooden worktable, with its half-round notch, has stood on the first floor ever since, and a goat-leather sheet still hangs beneath the benches to catch gold dust. We're fans of a workshop that keeps its history this visible, and it is a lovely place to have your wedding rings made if you are marrying in or around the Swiss capital.

Wedding rings in recycled gold, wood or carbon

Couples are invited to bring their own ideas, and even special materials or keepsakes, to be worked into the rings. The materials go beyond the usual: silver, yellow, white and red gold, platinum and palladium, but also wood and carbon. On request the atelier sources any gemstone you want. The price varies with the material chosen, the kind of engraving and the total effort, and a non-binding quote is offered. Engraving is a feature in itself: hand engraving with a graver for fine lines, or laser engraving that can reproduce designs such as mountain landscapes or fingerprints. A mountain line engraved inside a ring is an easy way to carry a Swiss wedding home with you, wherever you live.

Whatever the metal, there is a sourcing rule. The firm is a certified member of oekogold.ch, uses only recycled precious metals and takes care to buy from certified stone dealers. The gold is entirely recycled, and the melting is also done in Switzerland. Every creation starts from square wire or sheet, mostly gold, with few machines and plenty of hand tools, so the rings are shaped by hand from the start.

From first conversation to wooden box

Making a piece takes four steps. The first visit is a personal conversation about your ideas and wishes. Next comes a non-binding offer with individual drawings or wax models, so you can see the piece before it exists. After your approval, planning and making begin, and the team is open to suggested changes at any point. The finished piece is handed over in a handmade wooden box.

Booking is relaxed. Book an appointment or simply drop in. Opening hours are Tuesday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:30, and Saturday 9:00 to 16:00, with Monday and Sunday closed. For couples on a short trip to Bern, the option to walk in on a Saturday morning is a real convenience.

Looking after the rings after the wedding

The atelier also looks after rings once they are made. It will adjust your wedding ring so that it fits for life, and it adjusts rings "ohne Versprechen" too, meaning rings that aren't wedding bands. Services cover ring resizing, repair, stone setting, restringing pearls, remodeling inherited pieces by melting down or restoring, and appraisals for insurance, inheritance or liquidation value. Gemstones in the appraisals are assessed by the firm's gemologists. Remodeling is the service to ask about if you want family gold in your rings, since inherited pieces can be melted down and worked into a new pair.

The team behind the benches

Boris Allemann has more than 28 years of experience as a master of the craft and leads the team. The motto is "Träumen, wünschen, erfüllen": dream, wish, fulfill. The team is Boris Allemann, Bettina Marbacher and Vanessa Istrefaj, and a sixth generation now works in the same house. The firm took over a hairdressing salon below the atelier and began converting it into a shop in spring 2022, with raw steel, copper and oak.

Three Bern ring makers, three different angles

Two other Bern firms have distinct angles. Punctum Aureum is run by five women goldsmiths in the Bern old town and is Oekogold certified, and Zigerli+Iff, a family firm since 1893, is a MEISTER premium partner for wedding rings. Allemann's difference is made-to-order work from recycled metal in a workshop lineage dated to 1919, and that combination suits couples for whom sustainability and handcraft both matter.

German pages and an old-town address opposite the Stadttheater

The pages are in German and do not say whether consultations are held in English, so mention your language when you get in touch. Contact is by phone, email or an enquiry form. The atelier is in Bern's old town, at Grabenpromenade 1, opposite the Stadttheater. For rings with a clear provenance, made by hand from recycled metal in a workshop with more than a century behind it, we would send you to the Grabenpromenade.