Eggimann Goldschmied

Jörg Eggimann builds his wedding rings around a single question: where the gold comes from. His bands are forged from Fairtrade gold carrying the Max Havelaar label, or from eco-fair gold supplied by the EcoAndina foundation, with gemstones and silver bought through fair trade. His workshop at Helvetiastrasse 5 in Bern is worth the detour if the origin of your gold matters to you, and the Fairtrade certification and FLOCERT audits behind these rings give your choice a paper trail.

Wedding bands forged from Fairtrade gold in Bern's Museum Quarter

The workshop sits across from the Kubus/Titan extension of the Historical Museum, which makes it easy to find in the Museum Quarter. Jörg Eggimann is a master goldsmith and has been self-employed for over 17 years. Each ring is forged by hand, so certified metal travels from his supplier to your finger through one pair of hands.

Two gold sources: Max Havelaar and EcoAndina

Max Havelaar Switzerland added gold to its certified products in 2014; the Fairtrade premium included in the price supports the development of the miners' communities, and the independent certifier FLOCERT checks compliance with the Fairtrade standards. The EcoAndina gold has been in his workshop since 2008. It comes from the province of Jujuy in northwest Argentina, where a small mining cooperative washes it by hand from the upper layers of river sediments, without mercury or cyanide.

Fairtrade is his first choice rather than an absolute rule. On request, or where technical reasons require it, he sometimes uses recycled precious metals and stones from conventional sources.

The Bern magazine MIS BÄRN exklusiv calls him a pioneer of sustainable jewelry in Switzerland, says he had been creating pieces from fairly traded materials for 15 years at the time, and reports that almost all of his work is one-off pieces. It adds that his diamonds come from transparent mining in Australia and Canada. For a couple who want the stone to have a story as well as the metal, that is a reassuring detail.

A Max Havelaar license, FLOCERT audits and a 2010 ethics award

• Licensee of Max Havelaar Switzerland since 2016.
• Certified by FLOCERT after audits in 2019 and 2025.
• Swiss Ethics Award in 2010 for his Fair trade jewelry project.
• Master goldsmith qualification in February 2006, after a preparation course from 2004 to 2006.

His training record runs back further: an apprenticeship with H.U. Geissbühler in Konolfingen from April 1985 to April 1989, an internship as a stone setter with Christian Jensen in Bern in 1994 and 1995, a silversmithing course at London Guildhall University in 1998, and a guest semester in Hildesheim from September 1998. His goldsmith career now spans more than 40 years, and the depth of that craft is what you are paying for when a pair of bands is made one at a time.

A long press record on the gold trade

The press lists on the homepage and about page are unusually long, and they reach from a 2010 portrait in the Berner Zeitung to entries in 2025. Most of the recent entries are about the gold trade itself rather than about his rings, which tells you he is part of the conversation about how gold is mined, not only a seller of finished pieces.

Sketches, models and a quote in the Helvetiastrasse shop

Each ring is made individually by hand, so prices are individual too. For a cost estimate a non-binding consultation in the shop is recommended, where he shows the range of options with sketches or models. Rings can be personalized with an engraving or a gemstone. A sketch or a model lets you settle the design before anything is made.

Appointments are possible outside opening hours by arrangement. Regular hours are Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 18:00, and Saturday from 10:00 to 14:00. The pages are in German; prices, delivery times and English service are not mentioned. Consultations happen in the shop, so this suits couples who can be in Bern for a visit before the wedding.

Where he sits among Swiss goldsmiths on this site

Swiss ateliers treat sourcing quite differently. Allemann Goldschmied works only with recycled precious metals and is a member of the oekogold.ch scheme. Goldschmiede-Basel.ch designs each ring as a one-off, in recycled Oekogold or Fairtrade gold on request. Eggimann's distinguishing point is the Max Havelaar license with a FLOCERT audit trail, plus the EcoAndina line, and that is what makes the Bern workshop a good match for couples who want Fairtrade certainty rather than a general promise of care.