In 2026, Rubel & Ménasché marks its 70th anniversary. Its President, Stephan Wolzok, reflects on seven decades of commitment, exacting standards, and fidelity to a simple conviction: a diamond is never merely a material. It accompanies lives, carries emotions, and becomes part of a continuum. Rubel & Ménasché has upheld this conviction with rigor and consistency, combining technical excellence, responsibility, and long‑term stewardship.
IH: In recent years, discussions around diamonds have increasingly focused on marketing, rarity, authenticity, traceability and transmission. How do you approach these issues?
Diamond marketing is a subject of vital importance.
A diamond cannot be reduced to an ordinary product. It carries a distinct emotional and patrimonial dimension, at times almost intimate. It must be nurtured, explained and passed on. The central issue today is not solely competition or the broader economic climate. Rather, it is that we have stopped speaking about diamonds with the consistency they require.
If a mother or grandmother no longer wears her diamonds, how can younger generations form any attachment to them? A jewel that is not worn gradually loses its resonance. Desire emerges from what one sees, what one feels, and what one admires.
A diamond reveals its true value when it accompanies a life, marking its moments and becoming a witness to them. This is how it becomes part of a legacy.
Traceability has become essential and contributes to trust. Yet it remains insufficient when addressed purely as a technical matter. For too long, the emotional dimension has been allowed to fade. We must reinvest in the realm of aspiration, with simplicity and clarity. The messages that have shaped the history of the diamond were concise, direct and powerful.
Our responsibility as professionals is therefore twofold: to ensure impeccable traceability and to restore the diamond’s visible, desired and fully embodied presence. The work undertaken by the NDC, the AWDC and the WDC plays an important role in reaffirming what constitutes a natural diamond. Beyond figures and data, however, attachment must be rebuilt.
A diamond is meant to share in the emotions of a life. It is neither a price point nor a statistic. It is meant to be worn and to endure.
IH: Rubel & Ménasché celebrates 70 years this year. Since its beginnings, the Maison has often anticipated developments that later became industry standards. How was this forward‑looking stance established?
I do not believe we ever sought to be pioneers. Our intention was simply to do things well.
The Maison was built on a straightforward requirement: to work with honesty, with rigor, and in alignment with the true demands of our métier.
From the outset, decisions were made that required additional effort. Sorting small stones with the same precision as larger ones, at a time when this was uncommon. Preparing goods not in lots, but in precise diameters, so as to support the work of setters.
These decisions did not arise from theory. They came from direct experience and from a clear understanding of clients’ needs. They required conviction and consistency.
We have never pursued growth for its own sake. What has guided us is the quality of the work and respect for the trade. Economic stability is a result, never a goal.
What allows a Maison to endure is not an occasional lead over the market. It is the ability to maintain a high level of exacting standards over time.
Seventy years later, the essential challenge remains unchanged: continuing to raise the level, without assuming that anything is definitively secured. If at times we have been perceived as pioneers, it is simply the consequence of this daily discipline.
IH: Transparency and traceability now occupy a central place in the sector. How do these issues resonate with the historical DNA of Rubel & Ménasché?
For us, these matters are not new. They are consistent with the way we have long worked.
We have always sought to know precisely the origin of the stones we select, the partners we collaborate with, and the conditions under which they operate. This was never a marketing position; it has always been an internal requirement.
As we celebrate 70 years of history, we also mark 25 years within the Dali Group. This partnership has strengthened our ability to structure long‑term relationships and oversee the entire chain from rough to polished. We track each stone throughout its transformation and can guarantee its origin, its journey and the conditions of its cutting.
At a time when discretion prevailed, we chose to highlight our partners. Naming the cutting facilities we work with was not self‑evident, yet we did so because trust depends on clarity, and clarity is the foundation of any sustainable relationship.
In the past, we worked with several dozen suppliers. We intentionally narrowed this circle and today our partners can be counted on one hand. This required difficult trade‑offs and the acceptance of renouncing certain opportunities. Nevertheless, it allowed for deep, stable and responsible relationships.
Current traceability tools now support this structure and facilitate exchanges with clients by providing documented and verifiable information. Technology does not replace the relationship; it reinforces it.
IH: The concept of circularity invites the sector to reconsider how diamonds may be reused or reworked over time. Why do you consider this a structuring theme for the future of the métier?
The first step is to define what is meant by circularity.
Are we referring to stones from dormant inventories, and if so, since when? To diamonds already mounted and later reworked? To their reintegration into new creations? The scope must be clearly defined.
The underlying idea is simple: a diamond is not a perishable material. It can accompany several lives, be worn, transmitted and transformed. By nature, it is reusable.
What makes the subject structurally important is the level of rigor applied to it. Reintroducing a stone into circulation requires answering essential questions. Do we truly know its origin? Can its journey be guaranteed? Can we offer the same level of transparency as for a stone sourced directly through our rough‑to‑polished chain?
This is where the reflection becomes more delicate. We will need to proceed methodically and determine how far this level of rigor can reasonably extend.
In the short term, circularity will not redefine the fundamentals of the métier. Over time, however, it may enrich our understanding of a diamond’s value by viewing it not as a fixed object, but as a material capable of continuing its story.
If approached with seriousness, circularity will not be a communication device or an opportunistic stance. It will become a coherent extension of our responsibility.
IH: After 70 years of evolution, if you had to summarize what Rubel & Ménasché embodies today, what message would you wish to convey to your clients and partners?
After 70 years, I would say that Rubel & Ménasché embodies above all a clear and consistent principle: we say what we do and we do what we say.
This is our guiding line.
Whatever the circumstances, we remain faithful to this principle. Contexts evolve, sometimes become more demanding, yet we maintain our course.
Excellence, for us, is not an overused word or a posture. It is a daily pursuit. We do not claim to be excellent, but we seek each day to move closer to it. This requires rigor and also the ability to acknowledge and value the progress already made. This dynamic makes the difference.
We are opening ourselves to new markets and new products, and we are developing services that enable us to support our clients more comprehensively. Our recutting workshop in Paris is also expanding, strengthening our ability to intervene on specific projects.
In this same dynamic, a new factory built by one of our partners, who is also a member of the Dali Group, will be inaugurated this year. It will meet the highest environmental standards and increase our manufacturing capacity.
This evolution is entirely consistent with who we are: a structured, attentive and rigorous Maison. Our strength lies in the combination of consistency and adaptability.
To our clients and partners, I would simply say that we are a solid and reliable actor because we remain aligned with our commitments and consistent over time. Trust cannot be proclaimed; it is built patiently over time.