Sister Act

So different and yet so similar

Nicole and Sandra Ripp have completely different approaches to their work — and this is precisely why they complement one another so well.

They love the beautiful things. Nicole and Sandra Ripp love jewellery and fashion, colours and forms, individual designs and versatile combination options. They love nature, landscapes, the mountains in Idar-Oberstein, the forest that they walk through with Nicole’s dogs. And this is why it is not surprising that they also love gemstones. The roots of this passion lie deep: in the agate cutting firm of their grandfather they saw how large, uncut stones were gradually transformed into genuine works of art. They recall the children of the customers with whom they played on the meadow outside the workshop, the bubbling pans on the stove, giving off their sweet smell when grandfather cleaned the agate, and the numerous journeys around the world. They learned at an early age where the stones came from, met the mine owners and their children — an experience that still affects the sisters to this day. 

After leaving school they both studied Business Management. Nicole Ripp initially went to America and Switzerland and completed an apprenticeship at a bank. She planned to return there. 

Torn between the sober world of the banker and the glittering world of the coloured stones — she finally decided on the company, due perhaps in part to the fact that she missed the sparkle, the shine and the euphoria of the material. Her passion for the coloured stones has remained with her to this day. “My sister and I have always loved the stones. Even as small children we were fascinated to see what our father and grandfather would do with the stones. We spent our childhood at the cutting workshop and this is probably where our enthusiasm comes from,” says Nicole Ripp.

As similar as the sisters are, the material has been used in very different ways. 

Nicole’s eyes sparkle when she talks of the riddles of nature, of buying the uncut stones, of the different fundamental substances which, with the influence of colouring trace elements, become different coloured stones, such as the chrome deposits that make an emerald out of a beryl, but a ruby out of a corundum. She enthuses over the harmony of chemical structures and how they influence the structure and colour of the different stones. “It is the entirety of the different forces of nature that influence the stones,” she says, “And this complexity ultimately forms their beauty. Nature is a precious commodity — we know how to treat it appreciatively.”

Her enthusiasm for the precious stones has also made Nicole Ripp a highly discerning buyer. She recognises the beauty of the stones immediately and knows exactly what she wants. And she refuses to compromise in any way: “Groh + Ripp stands for perfect products. And this is why the uncut stones and the subsequent processing have the highest priority.”