I visited Doris Hangartner’s light-filled studio in Zurich’s old town to discover a new approach to wealth management through the creation of a GemWealth portfolio of colour gemstones. Sitting behind a large white-topped desk – key to seeing gemstones' true colours – Doris Hangartner brings out tray after tray of brightly hued gems. These candy-bright gems are the basis of each personalised GemWealth Portfolio and include spinel, tourmaline - most notably Paraiba tourmaline - morganite, tanzanite, mandarin and tsavorite garnet, offering a hard-to-match array of fascinating and highly valuable gems.
Doris Hangartner has over thirty years experience in the jewellery industry and she set up her business 13 years ago, drawing on her knowledge as a gemmologist with a background in diamond dealing and estate jewellery. Her passion for stones began with her childhood love of collecting pebbles and rocks during hikes in the Swiss countryside and has grown into the foundations of her pioneering gemstone investment business.
Preferring stones that are still less-known to the big four: diamond, ruby, emerald and sapphire, Doris began collecting the finest examples of exceptional colour gemstones, including the mesmerising vivid blue Paraiba tourmaline. Guided by instinct and deep gemmological knowledge, Doris has curated a spectacular collection of investment-grade gemstones over the past 13 years.
Read more about Paraiba tourmalines here
The GemWealth Portfolio offers clients the opportunity to create their own selection in a process that can start with an understanding of the investor's character. Doris then matches gemstones to each individual and can even make a gemstone mandala or crystalline portrait of their personality adding a new dimension to financial decision-making. This experience helps the client understand which stones resonate with them, narrowing down the selection of gemstones to add to their GemWealth Portfolio. Doris says: 'Gems are an intriguing portfolio diversification as they are portable, discrete and easy to store, and can hold a lot of value in a very small space. They are rare and scarce and are uncorrelated to the markets.'
Doris suggests starting with 250,000 CHF to buy top-quality stones in optimal sizes, focusing on the very best examples for each gem. She recommends a mix of 80% Paraiba tourmalines, red spinel, and tsavorite garnets, with the remaining 20% composed of other gems such as mandarin garnets, canary yellow tourmalines, and a range of spinels in hues like aubergine, lavender, or grey. The stones can be stored in a vault or made into jewellery to be enjoyed, an aspect that Doris believes adds to their appeal. Investors can add to their portfolios over time or sell stones back into the market or to Doris, providing flexible exposure to a broad array of gemstones.
While many may be familiar with investing in the more traditional sapphires, rubies, and emeralds, the public knows less about other coloured gems that have shown impressive growth over the past 20 years due to scarcity, desirability, and lack of knowledge. Given this scenario, a GemWealth Portfolio could be a wise way to diversify. Doris’ clients include individual investors, family offices and gem connoisseurs, looking to build a legacy through precious stones with preservation of inter-generational wealth in line with a strategy of 'gems for generations'. Doris has fine-tuned the skill of putting together GemWealth Portfolios that balance growth with emotional appeal and pleasure.
Watch the first video where Doris Hangartner explains gem-matching
Paraiba tourmalines are a category in which Doris excels as starting in 2012, she was amongst the first to collect these stones. She was mesmerised by their ‘Hollywood swimming pool blue’ electric colours that the gem world had never seen before. Paraiba tourmalines were first discovered in 1987 in Brazil by Heitor Dimas Barboso in pegmatite mountains in the Paraiba district, under inhospitable, arid conditions, and since then, this original source has been said to be depleted. Seams were later discovered in Mozambique and Nigeria, but the gem is still extremely rare and highly sought after, with carat prices many times those of diamonds.
Watch the second video where Doris Hangartner explains gem stone mandalas
Doris estimates that since Paraiba tourmalines were introduced to the market in 1991, they have increased in value by 500 to 1,000 times, while other stones have quintupled in value over the past twenty years. Unlike diamonds, which have fallen in value due to the rise of lab-grown versions, colour gemstones have steadily risen in value. As with any investment, you can make or lose money, and nothing can be guaranteed, but Doris is one of the few specialists in this niche attracting a wider range of investors than could not have been imagined even a decade ago.
Watch the third video where Doris Hangartner explains GemWealth Portfolios
The GemWealth Portfolio brings a fresh joy to the number-driven world of wealth management, with the possibility of diving deep into your personality while maintaining a cool business head and choosing stones for both their appeal and growth potential. Let the gems shine!
