Schroeder Joailliers was founded 145 years ago, in 1877, by my great-great-grandfather Lambert Schroeder, and the company remains a family business to this day.
Lambert Schroeder first learned the jewellery trade in London, then in Chicago, before finally returning to Luxembourg to open his boutique at the same address where we are today, notably on the main shopping street in Luxembourg City.
A skilled and pioneering retailer with a passion for quality and innovation, he was the driving force behind the company's core values.
Lambert's only son, Ferdy Schroeder, learned the engraving trade in Paris and took over the business, facing the difficult task of running it during the two world wars. His perfect mastery of his art earned him the prestigious title of ‘Supplier to the Court’, which Bijouterie Schroeder still holds today.
After his death, and with no children of his own, Ferdy passed the business on to his niece Henriette, who is also my grandmother. Henriette Dupong ran the business with her husband, a former Swiss banker named Olivier Rossy. You may now understand why the surname of the current head of the company is Rossy and not Schroeder. She is now 99 years old and still owns the company with my father Pierre Rossy. From now on, it's my parents Gaby & Pierre, my sister Sophie and myself who will continue the family adventure. Sophie and I proudly represent the 5th generation of our family business.
First of all, Schroeder Joailliers is the only jeweller in Luxembourg to have developed its own international jewellery brand, including ‘Schroeder Joailliers’ and ‘Pas de Deux’, as well as the ‘Schroeder Timepieces’ watch brand.
Under the management of my father Pierre, Schroeder developed its product range and expanded internationally. In addition to Europe, Pierre has also organised and participated in exhibitions, for example in Bahrain, Jakarta and Singapore, and Schroeder Joailliers has contracted partners in the United Arab Emirates, mainland China and Japan.
Our close relationship with the Luxembourg Royal Family has also enabled us to establish a contract with an etiquette school in China. Schroeder Joailliers now welcomes Chinese ladies to Luxembourg for training in European royal etiquette.
As well as jewellery, Schroeder also creates its own leather goods and accessories such as pens, cufflinks, scarves and perfumes. We have already launched our fifth fragrance.
But above all, in 1995, my father took the plunge and launched his own brand of watches called ‘Schroeder Timepieces’, which is now a great success.
But our traditional House also represents other watch brands, including the famous Italian DNA brand, PANERA watches. We are the brand's exclusive distributor in the Grand Duchy, and we're keen to build on our excellent collaboration. After all, our family name is also of Italian origin!
Watches and jewellery: investment or impulse purchase?
Whether you're buying a watch or a piece of jewellery, it should always be a case of ‘coup de coeur’. The object in question should please when worn or admired. Imagine buying purely to invest, and the value of your investment plummets. All you'll be left with is a watch or a piece of jewellery that you wouldn't even wear and that won't give you any pleasure.
Of course, we do our best to advise our customers in their desire to invest and according to their budget.
An excellent investment is a piece of jewellery with an imposing, high-quality main stone. First of all, gold is always a stable and strong investment in times of crisis. But quality stones are also very rare, whether they are diamonds or precious stones. A 1.20 carat stone is rare because of its size, and will therefore be worth more than the same number of carats divided between three stones of 0.40ct each.
Fancy coloured diamonds often fetch impressive prices at auction, especially if the colour is classified as vivid or higher.
Precious stones such as rubies, emeralds and sapphires from old mines that are no longer exploited are also highly sought-after.
I would like to stress that it is important to get professional advice from your trusted jeweller-gemmologist, as many other factors play into the value of a stone. For example, a diamond may be of a colour and clarity rated very highly but be fluorescent, or if the diamond is badly cut it will lose its sparkle, and these and other factors will also be taken into account when valuing the stone.
We often have special requests. My father once made 18k gold business cards for a German businessman, and we are currently working on a personalised, engraved 18k gold credit card.
As an independent jeweller and watchmaker, our greatest strength is above all our creativity and our responsiveness to demand, which sets us apart from the major jewellery and watch brands belonging to the big luxury groups.
On request, we can also personalise our watches, for example by engraving the customer's initials on the rotor of an automatic watch, or customising the dials. A leader of an Arab country placed an order with us for gift boxes featuring the country's flag on the watch face. Of course, this can also be done for corporate anniversary gifts.
A cocktail ring in 18k white gold, set with a 23.28 ct tanzanite and 189 brilliants set on the body of the ring and even on its claws, weighing a total of 1.72 ct. The tanzanite is of an intense blue worthy of a high quality sapphire, marvelling with a hint of violet, a typical characteristic of tanzanite stones.
Speaking of investments: Tanzanite was only discovered in 1967 and is named after the country of its origin. Unlike other stones that can be found in many parts of the world, tanzanite is only found in a mine that is just 7km long and 2km wide in the Simanjiro district of Tanzania. Its rarity has therefore quickly contributed to the success of this extraordinary stone. The day the mine is fully exploited, I'm sure the price of tanzanite will skyrocket!
My father's international vision for our Schroeder jewellery and watch company has always inspired me. I feel the same passion for developing our brand in terms of product diversification and international expansion.
What's more, my father Pierre is a very creative person who finds a solution to every customer request. His commitment to the quality of our products and services is exemplary, and I hope that our future generations will do the same.
Add your comment