Isaline Arnoldi: The expert for colored gemstones and co-founder of Gemhype

Isaline Arnoldi is the co-founder of Gemhype, a B2B online shop for high-quality colored gemstones. The company emerged from the renowned family business HC Arnoldi, a respected gemstone cutting company in Kirschweiler near Idar-Oberstein. Isaline and her brother, Carl-Philip Arnoldi, run the company together. Thanks to their own professional training and a multi-generational family history in the colored gemstone trade, they are true experts in this field and are shaping the business with innovative ideas for the next era.

We had the pleasure to chat with Isaline about her passion for colored gemstones, and what makes the stones so unique.

Rareté: Your love for colored gemstones seems to have grown from childhood. How did your passion develop?

Isaline: Exactly, my passion for colored gemstones has been there since my childhood, as it accompanied me through our family business, which is now known as HC Arnoldi. Nevertheless, after graduating from school, I decided to first gain my own experience. So I moved to Berlin and Munich to study. While I was studying for my master's degree in Munich, I began to work more in our family business. This started with taking over the social media channels and supporting the gem and jewelry trade fair “Inhorgenta Munich”. In my master's thesis I wanted to dedicate myself to a meaningful project and decided to develop a concept for a B2B online platform for gemstones. Which I then implemented into reality together with my brother. In 2019 I joined the family business fully and founded gemhype.com GmbH together with my brother. Since then, I have continuously developed and expanded my passion for colored gemstones and our company.

Rareté: What makes colored gemstones so special?

Isaline: Colored gemstones are particularly fascinating for various reasons. A special feature is undoubtedly their amazing variety of colors. From the intense and bright red tones of a ruby ​​to the radiant colors of a Paraiba tourmaline or the delicate pastel tones of a beryl, there is a variation to suit almost every taste and style. However, what makes colored gemstones truly unique is their individuality. Every gemstone is unique. They have an evolutionary history spanning millions of years and are the result of complex geological processes. Each stone has its own story and its own personal properties.

The special feature then continues through the processing process. Many people see or wear colored stone jewelry, but often don't realize the precision work that goes into it. When I see how the gemstone cutters at HC Arnoldi work on the gemstones with their bare hands, their intuition, their calmness and their skill, it is always incomprehensible, fascinating and admirable to me.

Image: Gemstone cutting at HC Arnoldi

Rareté: How many colored gemstones are there?

Isaline: The exact number of colored gemstones is difficult to determine because it depends on various criteria. Basically, there are hundreds of minerals and rocks that can be considered colored gemstones, including of course the classics that almost everyone knows such as ruby, sapphire, emerald but of course also the colored stones that are part of our repertoire such as aquamarines, tourmalines, mandarin garnets, spinels, tsavorites and many more. The variety and beauty of colored gemstones are undoubtedly impressive.

 Image: HC Arnoldi - Paraiba Tourmaline

Rareté: Which colored gemstones are currently in particularly high demand and which are your personal favorites?

Isaline: My personal favorite in general is tourmaline because it comes in so many different shades. There is practically always a suitable variant for every season, every occasion and every taste. From the incredibly valuable Paraiba tourmalines to the delicate pink tourmalines, almost every color nuance is represented.

However, I always have a current favorite that changes from time to time, depending on current trends and personal taste. In recent years it has been the pink spinel that has adorned the first piece of jewelry I bought myself. The world of colored gemstones truly offers an endless variety of beauty and possibilities, and it's fascinating to see how personal preferences can evolve over time.

In the same way, there is also a certain demand dynamic among customers. Classic colored gemstones are constantly in demand, but there are always special cuts, colors or gemstone varieties that become particularly popular at times, similar to the fashion industry. In recent years, for example, the pastel tones of beryls have been particularly popular, and tourmalines have regained popularity. The trends in the jewelry world, like fashion trends, change perhaps not quite as quickly.

Image: HC Arnoldi - Spinel 

Rareté: Can you tell us more about the origin of colored gemstones and the mining process?

Isaline: Colored gemstones are mined worldwide, and many of our classic sources are in Africa. For example, Tanzania is known for tanzanites, sapphires, tsavorites, spinels and garnets. Mozambique, Nigeria and Madagascar supply beryls such as aquamarines and morganites, as well as tourmalines. The sought-after Paraiba tourmalines mostly come from Mozambique, as the Brazilian deposits, which are the most expensive, have largely been exhausted.

Mining colored gemstones is often labor-intensive and can pose environmental and social challenges. Therefore, ethical sourcing of gemstones is of great importance. Collaborating with suppliers and adhering to ethical standards are key principles to ensure that the trade in colored gemstones is sustainable and responsible.

Rareté: What symbolic meaning do colored gemstones have and how are they used in jewelry?

Isaline: There are some points of view that I honestly don't know much about. My colleague took a closer look at the topic and wrote an interesting article about the connection between gemstones and water. Colored gemstones have a long history of symbolic meaning in many cultures. Each stone carries unique properties and meanings.

Rareté: Thank you, Isaline, for these fascinating insights into the world of colored gemstones.

Isaline: Thank you for the invitation. It was a pleasure to talk about my passion for colored gemstones. I hope this has helped stimulate interest in these fascinating treasures.