Goldschmiede-Basel.ch

Goldschmiede-Basel.ch is the website of Christin Weber, a goldsmith with her own atelier at Spalenberg 49 in Basel, which the footer also calls Goldschmiede Spalenberg. The atelier page headline places it "im Herzen von Basel", in the heart of Basel. Wedding rings are the first item in her menu, and the wedding-ring page states the principle in one sentence: every wedding ring is a one-off, designed together with the customer according to their ideas and wishes, and made in her own atelier.

How the wedding rings are made

The full statement on the wedding-ring page is short and specific. "Alle Eheringe sind Einzelanfertigungen, die ich gemeinsam mit meiner Kundschaft nach deren Ideen und Wünschen entwerfe und in meinem Atelier anfertige." All wedding rings are made individually, designed with the customers to their ideas and made in her atelier.

On materials she is equally direct. She makes all her rings from OEKOGOLD, which she explains as 100% recycled precious metal, or on request from fairtrade gold, which she describes as gold mined under fair conditions. Where possible she is also happy to use a customer's old gold or stones. For a couple with a family ring or loose stones, that is an explicit invitation to bring them to the first meeting.

The wedding-ring gallery

The page then shows a gallery of past wedding rings, sorted into seven groups. The captions give a good picture of the range, and they are more concrete than most goldsmiths' sites:

• Klassische Eheringe (classic): plain bands in red gold, rose gold, white gold and yellow gold, in half-round, oval and flat-topped profiles, polished or with a brushed matte finish. One pair mixes a white-gold ring and a yellow-gold ring.
• Eheringe mit Steinbesatz (set with stones): platinum pairs with a diamond alliance for the bride, a pair with a man's ring in red gold and a woman's ring in platinum, yellow-gold rings with pavé-set diamonds, and a single diamond in a six-claw setting.
• Zweifarbige Eheringe (two-tone): white gold inside and red gold outside and the reverse, yellow gold with a white-gold line, and white and red gold with a milled structure.
• Eheringe mit Struktur (textured): milled structures, a hammered finish, filed facets, and one pair made once in yellow gold and once in silver with a hammered texture.
• Eheringe mit Carbon: yellow-gold, white-gold and fine-gold rings with carbon, one with engraved hearts on the woman's ring and two with a brown diamond.
• Individuelle Eheringe (individual): a mokume gane ring paired with a palladium ring, a braided ring, a corded ring in white gold and a twisted design.
• Spezielle Eheringe (special): palladium and white-gold rings carrying the wearer's own fingerprint, a pair with hand engraving on the outside, and yellow-gold rings decorated with small beads.

Taken together, the gallery shows that she works in yellow, white, red and rose gold, platinum, palladium, silver and fine gold, with diamonds and carbon, and that engraving and fingerprint rings are part of her repertoire.

Engagement rings and other work

The menu also covers engagement rings in claw settings and closed settings, special engagement rings, and a section titled "Es müssen nicht immer Diamanten sein" (it doesn't always have to be diamonds). Beyond that there are rings with diamonds or colored stones, gold and silver rings, earrings, necklaces and pendants, and a section of pieces made to customers' own ideas (Kundenanfertigungen), from rings to pendants and earrings.

Training and career

The atelier page lists her career in detail. She took the Vorkurs A preparatory course at the Schule für Gestaltung in Basel from 1990 to 1991, then trained as a goldsmith with the firm Isler in Basel from 1991 to 1995. She worked as an employed goldsmith for Muller SA in Geneva from 1995 to 1997, for John Donald in London from 1997 to 1999, and for Zinstag in Basel from 1999 to 2000.

She became self-employed in 2001, renting space in Angela Zbinden's atelier "KOSTBARES" in Basel until 2005. From 2005 to 2015 she ran her own atelier at Rosshofgasse 5, which she shared first with Felicitas Seebass and from 2011 with Selina Brander, each running her own business. In September 2015 she moved to Spalenberg 49, where she still shares the space with Selina Brander, who also works as an independent goldsmith.

The London years are worth noting for couples from abroad: the site does not say anything about languages, but it does show several years of work outside the German-speaking part of Europe.

Address, hours and contact

• Goldschmiede Spalenberg, Christin Weber, Spalenberg 49, 4051 Basel
• Phone: 061 261 13 49
• E-mail: christin.weber@vtxfree.ch
• Monday: closed
• Tuesday: appointments by arrangement
• Wednesday to Friday: 11.00 to 18.30
• Saturday: 11.00 to 16.00

The atelier page has a "Route zur Goldschmiede planen" (plan your route) link and photos of the atelier. It does not describe public transport or parking.

What the site leaves open

• Prices. No prices are published for wedding rings, engagement rings or custom work.
• Lead time. The site does not say how long a pair of made-to-order rings takes, a key question for a couple with a fixed date.
• Language. The pages are in German, and no language of service is stated.
• Remote work. Nothing is said about designing rings with couples who cannot come to Basel, or about shipping finished rings.
• The consultation. The site does not describe how a design meeting runs or whether one should be booked ahead during the regular opening hours.

Who it suits

Christin Weber's atelier suits couples who want to design their rings with the goldsmith who will make them and who care about the metal: recycled OEKOGOLD as the standard, with fairtrade gold on request, is a clear position. The gallery gives a couple a lot to point at, from plain classic bands to carbon inlays, fingerprints and mokume gane, and the willingness to reuse old gold and stones suits couples with family pieces.

It is a good fit for couples in or near Basel who can visit during the Wednesday to Saturday opening hours or book a Tuesday appointment. Couples planning from abroad should write first to ask about timing and language, since the site settles neither, and should allow for at least one visit to the atelier for the design conversation.