Gloria Star

Gloria Star calls itself "Der Trauringspezialist in St. Gallen," the wedding ring specialist in St. Gallen. It is an owner-managed family business run by Beatrice and Daniel Gehrig, with a showroom on Gallusplatz opposite the cathedral and an in-house workshop. Its range covers wedding rings in gold, silver, platinum and titanium, and every ring is made for the individual wearer. Alongside its own showroom, it works with partner jewelers in towns across Switzerland, which is unusual for a small maker and useful for couples who will not be in St. Gallen.

The wedding rings

The homepage promises a large range of wedding rings in gold, silver, platinum and titanium, individual advice based on years of experience, and an in-house workshop. The collections have English names: Flying Hearts (the newest), Wild at Heart, Love Wave, Love & Rock, Power of Love, Like a Dream, Love Letter, Love Message, Sun & Shine, Flower Power, Heart & Soul, Side by Side, My One & Only, Dream & Love, Simply the Best, Yes & More, Love & Nature, Fire & Ice, Black & White and Forever & Ever, and the homepage also shows Prince & Princesse and Peace & Power. Several of them, including Love Wave, Love & Rock, Love Letter and Love & Nature, are also offered in titanium.

The About page is clear about how the rings are made. Whether simple or unusual, "jeder Ring für Euch persönlich angefertigt" (every ring is made personally for you), by hand and in the wearer's own ring size, so that each ring is a one-off. And if the right ring is not in the collections, the couple and the workshop work out together "was technisch machbar und sinnvoll ist" (what is technically feasible and sensible).

Beyond rings, the shop sells a small jewelry line: Lucky Charms, hoop earrings, pearl studs, titanium studs and drops, and a leather bracelet. The product text for the titanium hoops describes titanium as anti-allergenic and very light; anyone with a metal sensitivity should raise it directly with the shop.

A maker as well as a shop

The site's menu shows that Gloria Star works on two levels. For couples there are the showroom, the collections and a contact form. For the trade there is a dealer area, downloadable catalogs and the list of partner jewelers. In other words, the rings a couple tries on in a jewelry shop in Bern or Lausanne can be Gloria Star designs, made in the same workshop that serves the St. Gallen showroom. The About page frames quality in the same terms: fine workmanship and perfect quality are taken for granted as a specialist shop, and all rings are made with skill and careful handwork in the wearer's personal ring size.

For a couple, that has two practical consequences. A design seen at a partner can also be asked about at the showroom, and the workshop that makes the rings is also the place to ask about later cleaning, repairs or resizing.

Why the rings are not sold online

A notice on the homepage is headed "RINGE NICHT ONLINE ERHÄLTLICH" (rings not available online). The shop's reasoning, as the notice begins to explain, is its conviction about how a couple should choose their rings: in person, tried on, and made to the right size. The online shop exists for the jewelry line, and the wedding rings themselves are chosen at the showroom or at a partner jeweler.

The showroom in St. Gallen

The About page invites couples to the showroom on Gallusplatz, opposite the cathedral. All collections can be seen "live" and tried on there. The page stresses taking time: "Wir nehmen uns Zeit und beraten fundiert und mit entsprechendem Fingerspitzengefühl" (we take our time and give well-founded advice with the right sensitivity). Opening hours in St. Gallen are Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 18:00 and Saturday 10:00 to 16:00.

The homepage also has short guides on repairs, saying that a simple cleaning or repair makes jewelry like new again, and on finding the right ring size for comfortable wear.

Partner jewelers across Switzerland

For couples who do not live near St. Gallen, the About page says jewelers throughout Switzerland each show part of the collections, and that these partners have experienced advisers. The site's partner finder lists a long run of towns, from Basel, Bern, Zürich, Zug, Winterthur, Thun, Engelberg and Chur to the French-speaking towns of Lausanne, Montreux, Vevey, Neuchâtel, Fribourg and Sion, and to Bellinzona and Locarno in Ticino, plus Vaduz. Each entry gives the jeweler's name, street, postcode, town, phone and website.

For a couple planning a wedding in a particular region, this is the practical route: find the nearest partner, try the designs there, and order through that shop. Since each partner shows only part of the range, it is worth asking which collections are in stock before visiting.

Prices and ordering

The site publishes no ring prices. Product pages say that the price depends on the chosen precious metal alloy and the current market price, and the offers are marked "Auf Anfrage" (on request). The online shop advertises free shipping and can display prices in CHF, INR, GBP, CAD, AUD, EUR and JPY, though that applies to the online jewelry line rather than the rings.

For couples from abroad

The site is in German, and it does not say whether the showroom or the partners advise in English. It also does not describe how to reach St. Gallen, and it gives no production time for a made-to-measure ring, which is the key question for a couple fixing a date from abroad. A couple should ask about both when making contact.

Who it suits

Gloria Star suits couples who want a wide choice of designed wedding rings made to their size, including titanium options, and who value trying rings on in person. The partner network is the standout for a couple getting married elsewhere in Switzerland, since they can see the rings in a shop in the region of the wedding rather than travel to St. Gallen.

It suits less well a couple who wants to order rings online from abroad, or one who needs a published price to plan a budget. Both require a conversation with the showroom or a partner.