Leibish & Co.

Leibish & Co. is one of the better-known names in colored diamonds, and it earns that reputation from decades of specialising rather than from marketing spend. The company was founded in 1979 by Leibish Polnauer and is still run as a family business: his wife Rosi and their children were part of the original operation, and today Yossi Polnauer sits as CEO alongside Leibish as founder and president. The retail and corporate side is based in New York, while the trading and sourcing side operates out of the Israel Diamond Exchange, where the company has run its diamond business since 1995 according to Wikipedia's account of its history. There are further offices in Sydney and Hong Kong, plus a partner atelier in Munich, Germany, staffed by a GIA graduate gemologist, which puts a European contact point closer to Zurich than any of the other addresses. The storefront itself runs in English, German, Italian and Arabic (no French option), so a German-speaking newcomer to Zurich has that choice too, even if this write-up focuses on the English experience.

What Leibish actually deals in is fancy color diamonds: yellow, pink, blue, green, orange, red, purple, black, gray, chameleon and violet stones, alongside the more familiar colorless diamonds and a range of loose gemstones (ruby, sapphire, emerald, tanzanite, aquamarine). The company built its name around Argyle pink and canary yellow stones from the now-closed Argyle mine in Australia, and its about page lists some of the results: a matching pair of Argyle pink diamonds over a carat each in 2017, what it describes as the first internally flawless Argyle diamond found in over 20 years in 2016, and more than 70 Argyle Tender diamonds acquired between 2009 and 2023. Every stone and finished piece comes with a certificate, GIA, Argyle, IGI or an in-house grading report depending on the item, which matters more here than at a generic jeweler because color grading on a fancy diamond is a specialist skill in itself.

For someone actually shopping for an engagement ring, the site's bridal section is genuinely built out rather than bolted on. There are separate paths for colored-diamond and colorless-diamond engagement rings, gemstone engagement rings in sapphire, ruby and emerald, collections organised by carat size (0.5, 1 and 2 carat) and by setting style (solitaire, halo, three-stone), plus women's and men's wedding bands and eternity rings. A "design your own" tool lets you pick a setting and a specific stone and see a rendering before you commit. Prices vary hugely by stone, as you'd expect with natural fancy colors: browsing the site during research for this piece turned up pieces from around $2,220 for a small fancy-color stone up to $95,078 for a fancy vivid yellow cushion diamond, with plenty in between, all quoted only in US dollars. There's no CHF pricing anywhere on the site, so a Zurich buyer is converting and absorbing exchange-rate movement on top of whatever else applies at the border.

What to check before ordering to Zurich

This is the part of the review that matters most for this category, and it's also where Leibish is least specific. Its FAQ answers "do you ship worldwide?" with "yes, we provide fully insured, complimentary shipping worldwide (with few exceptions)." The separate shipping policy page says almost the same thing in different words: shipping is complimentary "worldwide, to most countries," with a caveat that "there are some countries where local restrictions prohibit the import of diamonds and other high value items," and a suggestion to email the company if you have questions. Neither page names a single country, exception or restriction by name, and neither page mentions Switzerland at all, not as a country it serves and not as one it excludes. That's exactly the ambiguous banner this category is built to catch: "worldwide" is not the same as "confirmed to reach a Zurich address," and I found no page on leibish.com that closes that gap. If you're considering a purchase here, email their team before you order and get a written yes that a Swiss address is covered, rather than assuming it from the word "worldwide."

On duty and import VAT, the company is at least direct, if not generous: both the shipping policy and the separate taxes and VAT page state that international customers are responsible for any duties, VAT, taxes or surcharges levied by their own country, and buyers are told to check with local customs before ordering rather than after. That's the correct answer to give, and it's stated plainly rather than buried, which is more than some sellers in this category manage.

Delivery timing is where the site actually contradicts itself. The FAQ estimates 1 to 2 business days to Europe, 2 to 3 to the US and Canada, and 5 to 7 to Australia and elsewhere. The general shipping information page gives a flatter estimate instead: "shipping usually takes between 3-5 business days" once payment clears, and adds its own caveat, "please check with your LEIBISH representative in order to verify shipping times specific to your country as they may vary." I'd trust that second line over either specific number: ask your sales contact for a real delivery estimate to your Zurich address rather than relying on either published range. If you're commissioning a custom piece rather than buying from stock, add manufacturing time on top: the FAQ states custom jewelry generally takes 14 to 22 business days to build before it even ships.

Returns are where the US-first design of the policy shows up most clearly for an overseas buyer. Leibish offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked, refunded to the original payment method, provided the piece comes back unworn and unresized (custom orders excepted) and with its original certificate; a return missing the certificate is charged a service fee starting at $150 depending on the stone. The company's free-returns offer, though, applies only to customers shipping from within the United States. Everyone else, Zurich included, has to insure the parcel and prepay their own freight and handling to get it back to the company's New York address. That's a real cost and a real logistics step to plan for before you buy something you might need to send back, and it's the clearest illustration in this listing of the exact friction this category exists to flag.

Ordering, resizing and after-sales

The buying process leans on human contact rather than a checkout flow alone: the site promises a reply from a jewelry expert within 24 hours, and you can book an appointment directly with the New York, Sydney or Hong Kong offices, or call the main US line. Reserving a specific stone online requires a 10% deposit, after which an account executive is supposed to be in touch within 48 hours, and the remaining balance is due within 7 business days or the reservation lapses and the deposit comes back. Payment options run from bank transfer and major cards to Apple Pay, Google Pay and a range of cryptocurrencies processed through BitPay, plus a Splitit plan offering up to three interest-free installments on transactions up to $35,000, with no credit check.

If a ring doesn't fit when it arrives, the FAQ promises a free resize within 60 days, arranged by phone or email. The company's separate, more formal lifetime warranty and service policy describes a different window for what reads like the same one-time free resize: within the first two years of purchase, capped at one and a half sizes up or down, and only on shanks that aren't fully set with diamonds. The two pages don't agree with each other on the deadline, which is worth knowing going in: get whichever timeframe applies to your ring confirmed in writing rather than assuming the longer one applies by default. Beyond that first resize, the warranty covers free annual inspection and replating for the natural lifetime of the piece, though it excludes loss, theft and stone displacement once the jewelry has left the company's hands, and it recommends independent insurance for exactly that reason.

Who it suits

Leibish makes the most sense for a Zurich-based buyer after something a Bahnhofstrasse boutique is unlikely to stock: a natural fancy pink, yellow or blue diamond with real Argyle-era pedigree, bought on the strength of certification and photography rather than an in-person visit (though in-person viewing is available in New York, Tel Aviv and Hong Kong, or through a Malca Amit viewing station elsewhere, for a fee). It suits someone comfortable handling their own import duty and, if needed, their own return shipping, in exchange for a far wider colored-stone selection than most local shops carry and a company that has been doing this since 1979. It's a weaker fit for anyone who wants a guaranteed ship date to Switzerland locked in before paying, or a price quoted in francs rather than converted from dollars.

None of this is a reason to avoid Leibish. The company's certification standards, its resizing and lifetime service commitments, and its plain-spoken (if buyer-unfavourable) stance on duty are all genuine strengths, and the family has been trading in this exact niche for close to half a century. The one thing to nail down before paying is the one thing the site itself never states: get Switzerland confirmed as covered, in writing, before you commit to a fancy color diamond you can't easily see in person first.