E Luda

E Luda is a goldsmith atelier at Länggassstrasse 28 in Bern, trading as E Luda GmbH and led by its owner, Christa Wittwer, who has been a qualified goldsmith (Goldschmiedin EFZ, the Swiss federal certificate) since 2004. The atelier designs individual jewelry to each customer's wishes, makes it by hand, and also takes in jewelry for alteration and repair. Wedding rings are one of its main creations, and the wedding ring gallery is long and varied.

The name comes from Bernese German: "E luda!" is an exclamation of joyful surprise, and the About page says joyful surprises are what the atelier hopes to produce too.

The wedding ring gallery

The wedding ring page opens with a short reflection on the ring as the visible promise to stay together forever, and says it is an honor for the atelier to create these pieces. What follows is a gallery of past commissions, and it shows an unusually wide range of materials:

• rings in rose and yellow gold combined with carbon, and red gold and carbon with diamonds
• a women's ring in rose gold with diamonds paired with a men's ring in titanium and carbon
• rings in silver with red gold and tourmalines, and in silver with blue sapphires
• palladium rings, one pair with laser engraving and one combined with wood, the women's ring set with diamonds
• titanium with fine silver
• white gold with a branch-like texture, and concave rings with a structured surface
• rings in white gold and Napf gold, and rings in sand gold
• a yellow and white gold pair with an aquamarine heart and diamonds in the women's ring
• rings with a fingerprint, and friendship rings in white gold, ebony and Corian

For a couple, the lesson is simple: the atelier is comfortable mixing precious metals with unusual materials, and it does two-tone designs, stone settings, textures and engravings.

Beyond the wedding bands

The creations section of the site places the wedding rings between two neighboring pages: signet and coat-of-arms rings on one side and engagement rings on the other. A couple can therefore have an engagement ring and the wedding bands made by the same hand, and a family that wants a signet ring or a crest engraved for the occasion has somewhere to ask. The site also has a partners page and a blog, and it links to the atelier's Facebook and Instagram accounts, which are the natural places to look for more recent work before a first meeting.

For a couple preparing a first visit, the gallery itself is the best briefing. Pointing to one or two pairs in it, such as the carbon and gold rings or the palladium and wood pair, is a quick way to show the goldsmith what you like, even across a language barrier.

How the atelier works

The About page describes the approach in its own words: the creative process from first idea to finished piece is the atelier's passion, combining traditional craft with modern methods. Because E Luda works with many materials and techniques, it says it can make pieces for very different budgets. It takes time to talk through each customer's wishes and ideas, so that every piece becomes individual and personal.

The gold comes from the Gyr refinery in Baar, Switzerland, and the site says it is certified eco-gold made from recycled old gold.

On Christa Wittwer herself, the team page borrows an old Toyota advertising slogan: "Nichts ist unmöglich - Christa" (nothing is impossible, Christa). It credits her broad experience, patience and fine touch with finding a way to make or repair any piece. It also lists what she loves, from filigree work and tourmalines with inclusions to javelin throwing, barbecues, floating down the Aare, travel and her Harley Davidson Sportster, which gives a fair sense of the person a couple would be working with.

Visiting the atelier

The atelier is open Monday to Friday, 09:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 17:30, and closed on Wednesdays. The site notes a closure from 11 to 20 September 2026. The About page invites visitors to make an appointment with the goldsmith or to drop in during regular hours, while the contact box on the wedding ring page asks for advance notice by email or phone for a consultation. For a wedding ring, booking ahead is the safer choice.

Getting there is described on the contact page: bus number 20 from Bern station in the direction of Länggasse, to the Mittelstrasse stop. Public parking is a few meters from the atelier on Länggassstrasse and Mittelstrasse. The same page explains that the owners wanted to be the first goldsmith in a neighborhood of other one-of-a-kind businesses, naming Tingel Kringel, a saddler and the Gelateria die Berna among them.

Contact is by phone on 031 301 25 11, by email to info@eluda.ch, or through a contact form.

For couples from abroad

The site is in German only and does not mention English. A couple who does not speak German should write a short email first and ask which languages the consultation can be held in.

What the site leaves open:

• Prices. There is no price list, only the statement that the range of materials and techniques allows work for very different budgets.
• Lead time. The site does not say how long a pair of custom rings takes, which a couple should ask about before fixing plans.
• Remote work and shipping. Nothing says whether a design can be agreed by email or whether finished rings are sent abroad.

Who it suits

E Luda suits couples who want a goldsmith willing to experiment, especially with combinations such as gold and carbon, titanium and silver, or palladium and wood, and who like the idea of recycled, certified gold. It is also a good fit for a couple who wants to work with one named person and keep a local workshop for later repairs and alterations.

It suits less well a couple planning entirely from abroad without a visit to Bern, or one that needs a firm price or delivery date before making contact. The Wednesday closing and the September break are small but real constraints for a couple with only a few days in Bern.