Schaffner&Kihm Geschmiede

Schaffner&Kihm Geschmiede is a small goldsmith workshop tucked into Rathausgasse in Baden's old town, run by two makers, Olivia Schaffner and Jonathan Kihm, who both work the bench themselves rather than sending pieces out to a supplier. What makes it worth a newcomer's attention is the site's own navigation: a dedicated "Hoch-Zeit" (wedding) section that splits cleanly into Trauringe (wedding bands), Verlobungsringe (engagement rings) and Alliance-Ringe (eternity or stacking bands), rather than burying bridal work inside a general jewelry catalog. For someone new to Zürich trying to work out which of the region's jewelers actually specialize in engagement and wedding rings, as opposed to selling them alongside watches and gift items, that structure alone is a useful signal.

Both founders trained as goldsmiths and hold the Swiss federal qualification for the trade, and Jonathan Kihm has additional training as a gemstone setter, the specialist who sets stones into a finished mount. That matters for engagement rings specifically, since a solitaire lives or dies on how securely and cleanly the center stone sits. The workshop describes itself as small and hands-on, and the "About" page talks about long-standing experience in the jewelry trade rather than citing a particular start date. What's on the public record is narrower: the company as a legal entity, Schaffner&Kihm Geschmiede GmbH, was only incorporated on 22 September 2025, with share capital of CHF 50,000, and the Swiss commercial register still lists it as active as of 3 August 2026. A business directory in Baden also lists Olivia Schaffner as a working goldsmith at the same Rathausgasse address, which suggests a personal practice that predates the current company, but that earlier history isn't dated anywhere public. Worth knowing either way: this is a young company on paper, even if the hands behind the bench aren't new to the trade.

What you get

The engagement ring range runs from a classic solitaire, a single diamond or gemstone on a plain band, through to fully custom pieces, and the site shows named design directions including wood-accented rings, plainer solitaires, and structured bands with side stones (Beisteckringe in German, meaning smaller stones flanking the main one). Metals on offer include white, rose and red gold and platinum, with wood as an accent option on some designs. Wedding bands add yellow gold and palladium to that list, plus combinations with wood and carbon for a less traditional look, and the workshop explicitly offers to coordinate a wedding band's metal tone with an existing engagement ring, useful if you bought the ring itself somewhere else. The alliance rings, sometimes called memory or eternity rings, set stones continuously around the band and are pitched as flexible: they work as a stacking ring, as an engagement ring in their own right, or as a Vorsteckring, a band worn above a wedding ring rather than replacing it. Stone options here go beyond plain diamonds to include blue and green diamonds, tanzanite, topaz and tourmaline.

Custom work follows a stated three-step process: an initial consultation, a design development stage, and then handcrafted production. That's a normal structure for a bespoke jeweler, but it's worth being direct about what the site does not say: no prices anywhere, no stated production timeframe for a commission, and no online shop or checkout of any kind. Everything runs through an in-person conversation, a phone call, or the contact form on the site. If you need a number to plan a wedding around, whether that's a lead time in weeks or a price bracket in francs, you will have to ask directly rather than find it published.

What stands out

The sustainability angle is more specific than most small jewelers bother to state. The workshop uses Oekogold-certified recycled gold and quotes a concrete figure for why: recycling gold uses up to 99% fewer resources than mining it fresh. Beyond the recycled metal, the site also references Fairtrade gold sourced from small-scale mines and diamonds verified conflict-free through the Kimberley Process, and cites certification under the Responsible Jewellery Council's Code of Practices and Chain of Custody standards. For a reader who cares where the metal and stones in their ring actually come from, that's a more substantive answer than a generic "ethically sourced" line.

The service list past ring-making is also relevant to anyone who expects to live in Switzerland for a few years rather than permanently. Alterations and reworking explicitly cover wedding rings and inherited jewelry, meaning resizing an existing ring is squarely within what they do, alongside soldering, chain repair, gentle cleaning, restringing pearls and replacing lost stones. Laser engraving is offered too, for the inside-of-the-band inscription that a lot of couples want. One honest limit worth flagging: the workshop states it does not do jewelry appraisals, does not buy old gold outright (it will only take it as credit toward new work), and does not buy pre-owned diamonds or gemstones from private sellers. None of that affects someone commissioning a ring, but it does mean this isn't the place to sell inherited pieces for cash.

How it's organised

The shop and workshop share one address, Rathausgasse 18 in Baden's old town, with narrow public hours: Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:00 to 12:00 and again from 13:30 to 18:00, and Saturdays from 10:00 to 16:00 continuously. There's no Monday, Tuesday or Thursday opening listed, so a visit needs planning around those three days, or a call ahead. Contact runs through a landline (+41 56 222 58 61), a mobile number (+41 78 821 25 56), and a contact form on the site.

The one gap that matters most for this tenant's reader: the entire site is in German, with no English version or language toggle anywhere in the navigation or footer. Nothing on the site states whether consultations can be conducted in English. Given how many international arrivals in Zürich and the surrounding cantons run daily life in English, that's a real practical question worth asking on the first phone call or via the contact form rather than assuming either way. Likewise, there's no mention of international shipping, customs handling, or selling to a customer who won't be in Switzerland to collect the finished piece; everything about the site reads as an in-person, walk-in-and-discuss-it business rather than a mail-order one.

How it compares

Set against the other long-established family jewelers and workshops in the Baden and Limmattal area, Schaffner&Kihm is the newer, smaller operation, a two-person atelier rather than a multi-generation firm with a long public history. What it offers in exchange is a narrower, more legible focus: a wedding section that names its three ring categories explicitly, a workshop that does the bespoke process in-house from consultation through production, and a clearly stated position on where its gold and stones come from. Reviews quoted on the site describe a customer who walked in with a sketch for a pendant and had it made, and another who had a ring resized and was happy with the result, both consistent with a workshop built around individual commissions rather than a stock catalog.

Who it suits

This is a good fit for someone who wants a genuinely made-to-order ring, is comfortable discussing the design in person or by phone in German, and doesn't mind the absence of published prices, because a custom piece from a small workshop was never going to be a fixed-price purchase anyway. Baden sits close enough to Zürich, sources put the direct train at 15 to 21 minutes, that a visit doesn't cost a full day, making it a realistic option for someone based in the city center who's willing to travel slightly west for a more personal commissioning experience than a Bahnhofstrasse boutique. It suits less well anyone who wants to browse and buy quickly, needs an English-language process guaranteed in advance, or is buying from outside Switzerland with no plan to visit before the piece is finished.

The verdict

Schaffner&Kihm earns its place on the strength of what it actually publishes: a wedding-specific section rather than an afterthought, a stated ethical-sourcing position backed by a real number, and an alterations and repair service that covers resizing and reworking existing rings, all useful facts for someone starting a life in Zürich rather than just buying a ring and leaving. The trade-off is transparency on the practical logistics: no prices, no lead times, no confirmed English service, and a company that's only been on the commercial register since September 2025. None of that makes it a bad choice, it makes it a place worth a phone call before a visit, so the language question and the general shape of cost and timing are settled before you make the trip out to Baden.