Common questions.
Some questions come up again and again, and many of them can be answered briefly. The answers are set out here by subject, so that you need not call for them. For everything beyond, we still prefer a conversation.
What does a family office do, and what does it not do?
We hold the affairs of our clients in one hand: assets, holdings, establishments in Switzerland, and the question of how all of it is to be ordered across generations. We are not a bank, and our fields are deliberately narrow. What we cannot do better than others, we do not offer.
Are you tied to a bank or to a producer?
No. Welcome Future AG is owner managed and holds no distribution agreement that would colour its judgement. If another route is the better one, we say so.
How long has the house existed?
Its roots reach back to 1982. It is run today by the second generation, with its seat and administration in Lucerne.
Do you work with clients abroad?
Yes. A considerable part of our work concerns clients from the EU and further afield who are looking for a connection to Switzerland. We meet in Lucerne or at your offices.
What is the difference between natural fancy colour diamonds and colourless ones?
Colourless diamonds are mined in quantity and traded broadly against published lists. Natural fancy colour diamonds of the best investment quality are rare, and their price follows the individual example rather than an average. That makes access more important than market knowledge.
How do I know a diamond grew naturally?
From the report of a recognised institute. It sets out the natural origin, the intensity of the colour and the clarity, and it is the basis of any valuation. Without that document a natural diamond cannot be judged as an investment.
How many stages lie between mine and investor?
With us there are four: the mine, the manufacture where the stone is cut and certified, Welcome Future AG for selection and examination, then the handover. Certification is not a trading stage, since the natural diamond remains the property of the manufacture and returns there after examination.
How do I sell again later?
Through the same network the purchase ran through. We place goods with the wholesale market and with private buyers and accompany the sale with the documents required for it. A natural diamond is not an exchange traded asset; the time to completion depends on the individual example.
What period should I allow for?
An investment in natural diamonds is measured in months to years, not in days or weeks. Anyone counting on short term access is poorly advised here, and we say so before the decision rather than after it.
Do you also handle storage and insurance?
Yes, if you wish. That includes storage, separately agreed insurance and secured transport. What this looks like in a given case depends on the size of the holding and is quantified beforehand.
Which certificates carry weight?
For investment purposes, the reports of the large independent institutes. They state colour, intensity, clarity, cut and natural origin against a uniform standard and can be verified internationally.
What does the Kimberley Process show?
That a rough diamond does not come from a conflict region. The papers accompany the route from the mine onwards and form part of the documents we present for every single natural diamond.
What happens if a certificate is lost?
The certificate number is recorded on the natural diamond itself as a laser inscription. In that sense the certificate cannot be lost. If the document itself goes missing, the institutes issue duplicates. Beyond that there is our own continuous record: we document every natural diamond in writing and in photographs before handover, so that the attribution remains evidenced.
Where do the figures on this page come from?
From the independent Fancy Color Research Foundation. Since 2005 it has recorded wholesale prices in Hong Kong, New York, Geneva and Tel Aviv, for investment qualities only and not for the jewellery trade. Publication is quarterly.
Do past figures say anything about the future?
No. Past performance is not an indicator of future development. The figures show how the market has behaved.
Why do the colours develop so differently?
Because their rarity differs and because demand runs differently. Between two examples of the same colour and weight there can also be considerable differences in price where the intensity, the clarity, the cut or the origin diverge.
What sets Argyle diamonds apart?
Their origin in a single mine in Western Australia, which for decades supplied the greater part of the world's pink diamonds, and the qualities that mine produced.
How do I evidence the origin?
Through the documents accompanying the individual natural diamond. We present them in full and explain what they establish and what they do not.
Does storage save me the value added tax?
No, it defers it. The amount is not waived; it falls due as soon as the goods enter free circulation. If they are sold from the warehouse to a buyer abroad, no Swiss value added tax arises; the rules of the country of destination then apply.
Does the natural diamond remain my property?
The goods in storage remain your property, and the warehouse keeper records them in your name. How robust that separation proves in a serious case depends on the storage contract and on how the holdings are in fact kept apart. Both belong examined before the goods go in.
Is insurance included?
No. It is not automatically part of storage but is agreed separately. Sum insured, basis of valuation and exclusions are to be settled before the goods go in.
Can I view my holding?
Yes. A viewing at the bonded warehouse can be arranged during opening hours. Independently of that you receive a regular statement of holding and valuation.
What do you offer international partners?
A dependable counterpart in Switzerland, established in the international diamond market and in selected alternative asset classes. For manufactures and trading partners we are the Swiss side of a collaboration.
Do you support setting up in Switzerland?
Yes. We assess the starting position, set the order of the steps and bring you together with those who actually carry out each part: notary, trustee, tax adviser and bank. We do not perform the incorporation ourselves.
Is an address enough for a Swiss company?
No, and this is regularly underestimated from abroad. The law requires that the company be capable of representation by a person resident in Switzerland. And anyone wishing to trade on Swiss origin needs both the seat and the actual place of administration in the country. A forwarding address carries weight neither with a bank nor with the tax authority.
Which fields do you cover besides diamonds?
Alternative asset classes, guidance on questions of wealth, and research and development in sustainable energy. Here too: narrowly drawn, and in direct relationships.
How quickly do you reply?
As a rule on the same or the following working day. If a matter is urgent, a telephone call is the shorter route.
Is a first conversation binding?
No. A first conversation commits you to nothing and establishes in short order whether working together makes sense for you.
Where does a meeting take place?
In Lucerne at Alpenstrasse 1, at your offices, or by video. We always begin in person.
Who handles my enquiry?
Every enquiry is examined personally and is not passed to a sales desk. Your details are used solely to deal with the enquiry and are not passed to third parties.
Do I receive material before we speak?
The information brochure on natural fancy colour diamonds and Argyle diamonds is available on request.