Ethics & sustainability
Families, collectors and banks entrust us with significant assets. Knowing where every stone comes from, who we deal with, and giving back to the communities at the source is part of our work.
Our commitments in practice
Only trusted partners
We buy only from partners we know personally, many of them for more than twenty years.
At the mines ourselves
We have visited many mines around the world ourselves, and verified their working conditions and ethical standards on site.
Due diligence
We check who we buy from and who we sell to, before every transaction.
Anti-money-laundering laws
We comply fully with anti-money-laundering legislation.
Natural, untreated stones
We only sell natural, untreated precious stones, appraised by us and certified by third-party, internationally recognised laboratories.
Professional standards
Member of the ASNP, ICA and Swiss Gemmological Society. We follow the Kimberley Process for diamonds.
We know where our stones come from
For decades, Elke and Thomas Berr have travelled to the mines and gem markets themselves. Seeing the rough before it is cut, meeting the miners and dealers, and understanding the local trade is the best guarantee of a stone's origin.
It is also why we work with so few intermediaries: the fewer hands a stone passes through, the clearer its history.
Supporting mining communities
The stones we love come from villages where families have worked the mines for generations. We support these mining communities and villagers, in particular by supporting local schools.
Due diligence & compliance
Before every purchase and every sale, we check the identity of the people we deal with and the origin of the stones. We comply fully with anti-money-laundering legislation and keep the documentation of each transaction.
- Checks on buyers and sellers
- Documented origin and history of each stone
- Laboratory certificates from SSEF, Gübelin, GRS or GIA for important stones
- Kimberley Process for diamonds
Sustainability
A precious stone is one of the most durable things there is: it does not wear out, and it passes from one generation to the next.
- Fewer intermediaries: we buy at the source from long-standing partners, so more of the value stays in the producing regions
- A second life for jewellery: stones from inherited pieces re-set in new creations, and collections resold rather than left in a safe
- Traceability on request, through a secure digital record with Toto Finance