Suzanne Syz is changing the jewelry game.
The Geneva-based jeweler is partnering with Swiss tech foundation Origyn to create digital certifications through blockchain for all 1,001 of her pieces, the first to do so. Syz is following in the footsteps of larger designers like Chopard, Cartier, and Tiffany & Co., which all use the technology to bolster the authenticity and traceability of their luxury goods. While these companies have only used digital verification for select releases, Syz will be the first jewelry artist to certify her entire collection on blockchain.
This practice is becoming increasingly popular. Watch brands such as Vacheron Constantin and Breitling have relied on blockchain to authenticate their timepieces since 2019, hailing the technology as forgery-proof and incorruptible. Origyn is one of many companies that works to digitally verify the provenance and ownership of high-value, real-world assets like fine art, gold, and jewelry.
Syz, known for her one-of-a-kind, vibrant, and avant-garde pieces that fuse unconventional materials with traditional gemstones, said in an interview with Origyn founder Gian Boschler that this technology is the future of luxury authentication.
“This is the solution to our problems nowadays,” Syz said. “What else do we have that gives you 100 percent guarantee that what you’re buying is what you want to buy?”
Each of Syz’s 1,001 pieces, beloved by collectors including Elizabeth Taylor and Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis of Germany, is issued a secure, tamper-proof digital passport that protects its value and sources its legacy—a departure from how luxury pieces are usually documented, valued, and collected via physical paperwork.
Some of Suzanne Syz’s work as a designer focused on the congruence of jewelry and fine art.
“The blockchain allows disintermediation,” Boschler said. “Certification and registration have always been controlled by people. What you want is equanimity and fairness so everyone can have access to that registration.”
Each blockchain-based certificate contains biometric data, ownership history, and rich media to create a link between physical objects and their digital records. This new approach to the authentication of luxury goods could be especially useful in the event of loss, theft, or trade. Syz’s adoption of the blockchain is a “natural evolution in her pursuit of originality and excellence,” according to the brand’s press release.
The jeweler is celebrated for her unique and singular pieces, often composed of titanium and aluminum and only ever made once. Her work is crafted in Geneva and praised for its technical complexity, originality, and craftsmanship. With the introduction of digital certification, pieces can be tracked and easily verified as they change hands for generations to come.
