Gübelin: The charm of the Burmese ruby at the ‘Magical Journey to Burma’ event

November 14, 2018

By Katerina Perez

6 min read

The Swiss jewellery company Gübelin loves to pamper its patrons with an enormous range of delightful events. In October, Rafael Gübelin and his wife, Wilvy Sy Gübelin, invited the brand’s VIP clients along with several media personalities – including myself and the founder of her-etiquette.com, Nel-Olivia Waga – to the ‘Magical Journey to Burma’ dinner party. The dinner was held in honour of the journeys of Eduard Josef Gübelin, the famous ‘father of modern gemology’ – which took Gübelin from Lucerne to the homeland of rubies: Burma.

The private event was held in Zurich in one of the city’s most unusual restaurants: Razzia. Razzia is truly one of the most amazing sights of the city: the space occupied by the restaurant was once one of the very first cinemas in Zurich – a fact illustrated by the interior design, which has not changed at all with the establishment of the restaurant. In the main hall, the stage and screen still tower over one end, and grand crystal chandeliers dangle from the ceiling. 

Katerina Perez with Rafael Gübelin, Nel-Olivia Waga and Wilvy Sy Gübelin

Katerina Perez with Rafael Gübelin, Nel-Olivia Waga and Wilvy Sy Gübelin

 Katerina Perez with Rafael Gübelin and Gübelin's 'air hostesses'

Katerina Perez with Rafael Gübelin and Gübelin's 'air hostesses'

 Gübelin's ‘Magical Journey to Burma’ event

Gübelin's ‘Magical Journey to Burma’ event

 Katerina Perez at Gübelin's ‘Magical Journey to Burma’ event

Katerina Perez at Gübelin's ‘Magical Journey to Burma’ event

At the entrance to Razzia there were check-in desks – as if one had just arrived at the airport – and guests were greeted by Swiss Air flight attendants in blue uniforms. It was as if every guest was about to set off in search of Burmese rubies, treading in the footsteps of the great Eduard Josef Gübelin himself. The journey did not end there: inside the restaurant stood vast pyramids of trunks, on which taxidermy peacocks sat. The peacock – I learnt – is a bird held in particularly high regard in Burma, to the extent that they were depicted on the royal flags before the English conquest.

Gübelin's 'Magical Journey to Burma' event decor

Gübelin's 'Magical Journey to Burma' event decor

While guests drank a welcome cocktail, and listened to the exotic music of the sitar, they were entertained with a performance by traditional Burmese puppeteers. From the 11th century until the end of the 19th, these dolls formed part of a theatre that was especially popular among the royal court. However – the true highlight of the evening’s entertainment was the acrobat’s performance – in which he folded 13 palm branches into an elaborate pyramid as he teetered, seemingly always on the verge of falling.

Katerina Perez and Nel-Olivia Waga at Gübelin's 'Magical Journey to Burma' event

Katerina Perez and Nel-Olivia Waga at Gübelin's 'Magical Journey to Burma' event

 Gübelin's 'Magical Journey to Burma' event

Gübelin's 'Magical Journey to Burma' event

 Gübelin's 'Magical Journey to Burma' event

Gübelin's 'Magical Journey to Burma' event

As soon as entered the main hall, I was immediately drawn to the sight of two enormous globetrotter trunks near the central staircase – and for good reason! It was here that the jewellery from the ‘Glowing Fire’ world was displayed. Of course; it was this collection which was the basis for the whole event, so naturally I found myself paying special attention to these pieces.

Gübelin ‘Glowing Ember’ pendant necklace with Colombian 4.61ct emerald, ring with Colombian 2.46 ct emerald and earrings with Colombian 2.35ct and 2.14ct emeralds, all with diamonds and accent rubies

Gübelin ‘Glowing Ember’ pendant necklace with Colombian 4.61ct emerald, ring with Colombian 2.46 ct emerald and earrings with Colombian 2.35ct and 2.14ct emeralds, all with diamonds and accent rubies

In general, Gübelin’s ‘Glowing Fire’ collection is divided into two lines – ‘Glowing Ember’ and ‘Sparks of Fire.’ Both of these lines are inspired by the inner worlds of these stones, which are clearly visible under a microscope. While developing the ‘Glowing Ember’ line, Gübelin’s designers focused upon an interesting detail found within one ruby – an inclusion, which resembles a double-rim circle. They took this element as the aesthetic basis of the ‘Glowing Ember’ pendants, rings and earrings; which feature rubies, sapphires and emeralds, all edged with thin lines of diamonds. During dinner, earrings and pendants from this collection were dazzlingly sported by the guest of honour: Nel-Olivia Waga.

Gübelin 'Red Dahlia' transformable pendant necklace with oval cut 2.18ct Burmese ruby, trillion cut sapphires and brilliant cut diamonds

Gübelin 'Red Dahlia' transformable pendant necklace with oval cut 2.18ct Burmese ruby, trillion cut sapphires and brilliant cut diamonds

The second line – ‘Sparks of Fire,’ which is inspired by an inclusion photograph taken by Eduard Josef Gübelin – consists of laconic bracelets and rings comprised of aquamarines, morganites, garnets, tanzanites, amethysts, fire opals, pink tourmaline and other round brilliant cut gemstones. These are set either in clusters, in a frame of pink gold, or individually – either with diamonds across the shank of the rings or without them, and they can be stacked and mixed and matched to create unique combinations. A minimalist design such as this – accompanied with an array of bright gemstone colours – works to embolden the flashes of brilliant light that lie at the heart of the ruby’s intimate beauty.

Gübelin ‘Glowing Ember’ ring with Colombian 2.46ct emerald, diamonds and signature ruby accent

Gübelin ‘Glowing Ember’ ring with Colombian 2.46ct emerald, diamonds and signature ruby accent

 Gübelin ‘Glowing Ember’ earrings with  Colombian 2.35ct and 2.14ct emeralds, diamonds and signature ruby accent

Gübelin ‘Glowing Ember’ earrings with Colombian 2.35ct and 2.14ct emeralds, diamonds and signature ruby accent

 Gübelin ‘Glowing Ember’ ring with Madagascan 5.24ct sapphire, diamonds and signature ruby accent

Gübelin ‘Glowing Ember’ ring with Madagascan 5.24ct sapphire, diamonds and signature ruby accent

 Gübelin ‘Glowing Ember’ necklace with feature 4.58ct sapphire and eight pear cut sapphires totalling 1.47ct, diamonds and signature ruby accent

Gübelin ‘Glowing Ember’ necklace with feature 4.58ct sapphire and eight pear cut sapphires totalling 1.47ct, diamonds and signature ruby accent

 Gübelin ‘Glowing Ember’ necklace with feature Burmese 3.54ct ruby, diamonds and signature ruby accent

Gübelin ‘Glowing Ember’ necklace with feature Burmese 3.54ct ruby, diamonds and signature ruby accent

 Gübelin 'Sparks of Fire' rings with morganite, yellow beryl, aquamarine and diamonds

Gübelin 'Sparks of Fire' rings with morganite, yellow beryl, aquamarine and diamonds

 Gübelin 'Sparks of Fire' rings with aquamarine and diamonds

Gübelin 'Sparks of Fire' rings with aquamarine and diamonds

 Gübelin 'Sparks of Fire' necklace with green tourmaline

Gübelin 'Sparks of Fire' necklace with green tourmaline

 Gübelin 'Sparks of Fire' earrings with tanzanite and aquamarine

Gübelin 'Sparks of Fire' earrings with tanzanite and aquamarine

 Gübelin 'Sparks of Fire' earrings with green tourmaline

Gübelin 'Sparks of Fire' earrings with green tourmaline

 Gübelin 'Sparks of Fire' bracelet with rubellite, tanzanite, morganite, aquamarine, green tourmaline, fire opal and yellow beryl

Gübelin 'Sparks of Fire' bracelet with rubellite, tanzanite, morganite, aquamarine, green tourmaline, fire opal and yellow beryl

Finally, I want to mention the two unique pieces that sparkled on the necklines of myself and Wilvy Sy Gübelin. The first is a transformable ‘Dragonfly’ necklace, with a fiery Burmese ruby weighing in excess of 10 carats accompanied by diamonds, creating a total weight of 19.49 carats. Its central decorative element can be unfastened and attached to a brooch – or, alternatively – be fastened to the necklace completely covered with diamonds. The second jewel that invariably draws the eye is the ‘Red Dahlia’ pendant, comprised of Burmese ruby, sapphires and diamonds. This design is also transformable, and can be worn on a necklace, as a brooch, or as a ring.

As you can see, to become the owner of a precious ruby it is not necessary to make a dangerous trip to an exotic country. Nowadays, it’s enough to simply discover a wonderful jewellery house like Gübelin.

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