Since 1898 Frieden, in Thun, in the green canton of Emmental, Switzerland, has specialized in colored precious stones, diamonds and unique handmade jewels. Today Thomas Frieden, a graduate of Gia, and Expert SGG, and René Lauper, also a gemologist with the same studies, coordinate the company. The Maison was founded by Thomas Frieden’s grandfather, Emil, initially to produce silver jewelry suitable for popular costumes.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the magpie, a bird that loves shiny objects, was chosen as Frieden’s trademark and is still part of the company logo today and guarantees the quality of the jewels. Around 1930, the sons of Emil, Eugene and William, created the first designs of 18-karat gold jewelry. In 1954, Frieden was among the founding members of the Basel Jewelery Show’s pavilion and gradually, the next generation of Frieden Heinz and Thomas built a production and wholesale company, supplier of hundreds of retail jewelers. Among other things, the company was one of the founders of what was Baselworld.
But the company also has its own jewelry brand, Thomas Frieden, which offers high-end collections, with precious stones and a modern design. The Feuille Divine collection, for example, is inspired by vaguely art deco floral motifs, but also designs that are also found in the jewels of traditional Swiss costumes. Or the Rainbow collection, which uses natural color sapphires (particularly rare) from the Pink Valley mine in Madagascar and includes earrings, bracelets, rings and necklaces decorated with the shades of the rainbow.
