Defining Luxury: Step Inside the House of GOL

There’s so much wonder that remains behind closed doors in the world of jewellery. Often, it’s the family-run businesses creating exceptional pieces for world-leading maisons. It’s not their name on the lips of shoppers, but those in the know understand that big brands couldn’t exist without them. A perfect example of this is Ishaia Trading, which has recently come to the fore with the House of GOL jewellery brand to offer its decades of expertise with large diamonds and important gemstones to private clients.

First, let’s explore the company’s past. Describing itself as “one of the hidden masters in the diamond industry,” New York-based Ishaia Trading has existed since the 1970s. Historically, this was a diamond-buying office led by brothers David Gol, based out of Geneva, and Ishaia Gol. Over the decades, they produced red carpet-worthy jewels for wealthy and famous clients across the world. They procured a team of master craftsmen, including individuals with niche specialisms, who could turn around pieces of incomparable quality. What set them apart more than anything, however, was their experience handling large and important diamonds and coloured stones. David Gol, who is now 92 years old, started cutting diamonds at 13 and developed a genuine love for getting the best out of stones. As his reputation grew, David Gol became the man-to-know for large diamonds, and his brother was the source for coloured diamonds, alongside Colombian emeralds, Burmese rubies, and Kashmir sapphire. Together, they supplied the biggest maisons of the Place Vendôme and continue to do so to this day.

Changes in the Industry

Something changed, though. As time progressed, large brands merged into groups like Richemont and LVMH, who opted to take their craftsmanship and sourcing in-house, thus changing the landscape for behind-the-scenes companies like Ishaia Trading. But why should jewellery lovers miss out on its immense expertise, knowledge, and experience? That was exactly the sentiment of the Gol brothers and Anne Larsen, head of the business development department at House of GOL, who joined the company three years ago. Together, they launched the brand to reach out to jewellery buyers directly and offer them a new definition of luxury – one that’s not stamped with a brand label like Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier but is underpinned by decades of practical experience behind-the-scenes expertise and ‘hidden gem’ potential.

The Aesthetics of the House of GOL

The first thing I wanted to discover was the aesthetics of the House of GOL. Its inventory of high jewellery is built around large diamonds and coloured stones, creating the perfect portfolio to show private clients as they commission something unique to them. Its named collections are themed around fancy-coloured diamonds, rose-cuts and D-colour diamonds to pay tribute to the brand’s history. For example, the Legacy collection centres on golden hues, bright canary yellow and deep sunset orange diamonds. A highlight is the Legacy Tribeca Trifecta necklace with 124.22 carats of natural colourless and fancy intense yellow diamonds in 18k gold and platinum. Next, there’s the ITCO ICON collection focusing exclusively on D-F colour diamonds, including a tennis-style necklace with 79.22 carats of emerald and round brilliant-cut diamonds.

As a fan of colour, I must also mention the Summer Chic Florals and Northern Light collections, both of which feature on the House of GOL website. The former uses soft rose-cut colourless, fancy yellow and pink diamonds to create petals of fantastic intensity. In contrast, the Northern Light offering tells the story of the aurora borealis with gradients of fancy colour diamonds in shades of brown, orange, pink, green, yellow, and even grey. My favourite pieces include a classic Boule ring with a 1.44-carat cushion-cut fancy intense purple-pink centre stone and a further 2.77 carats of fancy intense purple-pink pavé diamonds.

Bespoke Craftsmanship

Despite all this beauty, the ethos of House of GOL is all about bespoke craftsmanship. The brand’s head of business development, Anne Larsen, travels globally to meet clients in their homes and bring a special piece of jewellery to life, typically for a scheduled red-carpet event or a special occasion. Rather than promoting a specific collection, these are simply the launch pad for a client’s own creativity. Remember, Ishaia Trading has manufactured high jewellery for some of the biggest houses in the world, so it has all the high jewellery prowess without the mark-ups that come with household names. “Today, we manufacture in Paris, Geneva, New York and Los Angeles,” Anne says. “Wherever we find the best example of a particular setting or a connection for a necklace, we use them. The finish, the quality of that piece, whether it is fine or high jewellery, is paramount.”

Your Family Jeweller

Another aspect that defines the House of GOL approach to high jewellery is its flexibility. Anne explains that many of her clients will present her with a list of high-profile events on their social calendars, asking for jewels to match their gowns, the occasion, and the weather while also ensuring they are different from the year before. “We cater to the individual,” she adds. “I have made simple platinum wedding bands with no diamonds to go with a beautiful 2-carat ring as well… more often than not, it is a family affair, and we are their private jeweller.”

The return of the ‘family jeweller’ is a topic we’ve touched on before at KaterinaPerez.com. There’s something special about building a trusting relationship that passes down generations so that the jeweller’s grandchildren will be supplying pieces to the client’s grandchildren. I love this idea! Anne agrees that her bespoke customers feel confident and safe when buying from House of GOL, notably because David and Ishaia Gol have minimal Google footprints. She explains: “We are trying to build a brand, but we still want to keep that private feel; we want to make sure our clients feel confident and comfortable.”

House of Gol Events

Although the House of GOL is in its infancy, it has hit the ground running with events and collaborations, especially in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Doha and throughout the Middle East. It took part in the Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition 2024 earlier this month, where I had the pleasure of seeing the designs with my own eyes, and will participate in Jewellery Arabia in Bahrain in November. Plus, from February 14-20, the House of GOL will exhibit its masterpieces at ZAH Creative Hub in Al Olaya, Riyadh, starting at 5 PM.

Founded by Loay Abanomay, ZAH is a tech-based platform dedicated to highlighting exquisite jewellery designs and creative designers. ZAH strives to be a leader in Saudi Arabia, the MENA region, and globally for providing outstanding artwork while welcoming creative and inspiring jewellery designers, reflecting their culture, and sharing touching memories and confidence in style. Organised collaboratively by Clea Nasr, head of the ZAH marketing department and Anne Larsen the event promises to be an unforgettable experience. For all my Saudi-based readers, this is an opportunity not to be missed!

I hope the House of GOL is one of many emerging brands that put a public face on a behind-the-scenes business. It’s easy to hear the loudest voices and the ones that shout about history, craftsmanship and design credentials, but there are companies that whisper with similar, if not superior, skills. With its eye on the Middle East, there’s every chance you will meet the House of GOL and see its diamond-centric designs in person throughout 2024.