Hana Kim

Hana Kim is the working atelier of goldsmith Nicole Hana Kim, on Ankerstrasse in Zurich's Kreis 4, the Aussersihl neighbourhood a short tram ride from the old town. The name on the door and the name on the site are the same thing: everything sold here, from a stacking ring to a full bespoke commission, comes out of one Zurich workshop rather than a production chain scattered across the trade. The studio describes its own work as Korean elements meeting Swiss precision, and that framing holds up against the actual pieces: collections like Nabisa are built around the swirling paper ribbons of Korean Pungmul dance, worked out in metal across 12 pieces in that line alone.

For someone new to the city, the first practical question is language, and hana kim answers it cleanly. The site runs a full parallel English version, reachable through the language switch in the main menu, and it carries through to the contact and appointment pages too rather than stopping at the homepage. That is worth noting because plenty of goldsmiths in this part of town publish in German only.

Confirming the engagement ring question

This is a case worth being precise about. Nowhere on the homepage, the About page or the appointment pages does hana kim use the word Verlobungsring. Read only those pages and you would come away unsure whether bridal work is even on offer, alongside a "Bespoke" nav item that turns out to be dead, leading to a page that no longer exists. But the site does have an Archiv page, and its text settles the question directly: "Für unsere Kunden durften wir ein breites Spektrum einzigartiger Kreationen schaffen, darunter Verlobungsringe, neue Erbstücke oder besondere Geschenke." For our clients we've had the chance to create a wide range of unique pieces, including engagement rings, new heirlooms and special gifts. That sentence, in the atelier's own words, is enough to confirm bridal commissions are genuinely part of the business, not an assumption carried over from what a Korean-Swiss jewellery designer typically does. What it does not do is mention a Trauring, a wedding band, anywhere: if you are after a matching pair for the ceremony itself rather than a solitaire, ask directly in the consultation rather than assuming it from the Archiv wording.

What the consultation looks like

Custom pieces start with a first meeting of about 30-40 minutes to talk through ideas and preferences, followed by a look at sketches or concepts in more detail. A second conversation happens if it is needed to land on a final design. One policy is worth flagging before you fall for a particular stone: hana kim will only set recycled stones, stones of Swiss origin, or a stone the client already owns and brings in, citing its own sustainability and transparency commitments, though the studio says it is happy to source a stone against those same criteria on request. Booking runs through a contact form or by email, and the appointment page gives a standing consultation window of Tuesday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00, separate from the walk-in studio hours below. Neither page publishes a turnaround time in days or weeks for finishing a commission, or a starting price, so budget and timeline are things to settle in that first meeting rather than something you can check in advance.

Where the materials actually come from

The Zurich studio does the handwork, but not every step happens on Ankerstrasse. The About page is candid about it: pieces are handmade, with some cast by partner foundries in Switzerland before being gold-plated in Switzerland. The values page goes further into specifics. Silver is recycled, sourced from Switzerland, Germany and Austria, with the main silver work done in-house in Zurich; the supplier of gold used for plating is a member of the Swiss Better Gold Association, while other precious metal suppliers belong to the Responsible Jewellery Council. Gold used for special commissions is also listed as recycled, from Switzerland, Germany or Austria, and produced in-house in Zurich. One category is not made locally: silver chain components are listed as produced in Germany, Liechtenstein and Austria rather than Zurich, so a necklace or bracelet's chain may not be the same in-house work as a ring's setting. Coloured stones follow the same Swiss-first logic where they can, with jade from Poschiavo and rock crystal from the Göscheneralp, both cut and polished in Germany and Switzerland. All our jewellery is made in our Zurich studio in Switzerland is the site's own line, and on the evidence of the sourcing table that claim is fair, with the chain-component caveat noted above.

Price transparency

hana kim does not publish bespoke commission prices anywhere, which is normal for made-to-order work but worth flagging for a buyer used to seeing a number upfront. What it does publish is catalogue pricing for its ready-to-wear lines: pieces in the Nabisa collection shown on the homepage range from around SFr. 95 to SFr. 280, which gives a rough sense of the studio's register even though none of those particular pieces are rings. For an actual custom commission, the only way to get a figure is the consultation itself.

Shipping, duty and what happens if you leave

This matters for anyone in Zurich on a visa that will not last forever. Domestic shipping within Switzerland is free and takes 4 working days once a piece is in stock, and orders placed before 15:00 can be collected from the studio the same day, from 16:00. Shipping to Germany or Austria is also free, at 10 working days; shipping to the rest of the EU, including the UK, costs CHF 20 and takes 15 working days. The site is upfront that customs duties are not included in the price and vary by destination, so budget for that separately if you are having a piece sent home. Returns are straightforward: 14 days from delivery to send an item back, free within Switzerland with the enclosed return label, and a refund within 10 days of hana kim receiving it back. Returning from outside Switzerland is on your own courier, with a tracking number required either way since the studio will not cover a parcel that goes missing without one.

After-sales, once you actually own the piece

Care and repair are handled directly by the studio rather than farmed out. All jewellery is 925 sterling silver, and tarnish comes off with an old toothbrush and toothpaste, by the site's own instructions. Gold-plated pieces get a thicker layer than usual, 3-5 microns against an industry-typical 1-3, and can be sent back for re-gilding at CHF 20-40 or polishing at CHF 20. If a piece breaks after years of wear and cannot be repaired, hana kim offers a 25% discount toward a replacement rather than leaving you with nothing. There is no dedicated ring-resizing service described anywhere on the site; the ring-size page is about working out your size before you order, using a piece of string or floss and a ruler, or ordering a ring sizer tool through the shop.

How it compares and who it suits

Against the old-town houses on Bahnhofstrasse, hana kim is a smaller, personal operation: one goldsmith, one Zurich studio, and a design language that draws openly on Korean craft rather than generic Swiss luxury signalling. It suits a couple who wants a ring with a design story behind it and is comfortable working within a defined stone-sourcing policy (recycled, Swiss, or a stone you already own) rather than picking any diamond on the market. It is a weaker fit for someone who wants a published starting price or a guaranteed delivery date before they walk in. Credibility beyond the site itself is solid: coverage stretches from Vogue Germany in 2019 through to an April 2024 profile in the Tages-Anzeiger, the designer has been recognised by the international craft platform homofaber, and her pieces sit in stockists from Zurich to Basel, Bern, Fribourg, Lausanne, Lucerne and Flims. Nothing in that record, or in a direct search for signs of closure, suggests anything other than an active, ongoing studio.

The verdict

For an expat or long-term visitor in Zurich who wants an engagement ring with a genuine story and is willing to have a real conversation about materials before a number gets attached to it, hana kim is worth the appointment. The Archiv page settles the one real doubt about this listing: engagement rings are explicitly part of what the studio makes. The gaps that remain, no published commission pricing, no stated turnaround time, and no direct mention of wedding bands specifically, are all things a first meeting will answer, and none of them are reasons to skip a studio with this much genuine, hands-on craft behind it.