Thomas Sabo
Thomas Sabo turned charms and silver jewellery into a brand recognisable in shop windows across 70 countries. The company is still based in Lauf an der Pegnitz near Nuremberg, co-managed by its founder and certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council. Where the pieces are made it does not say. Its own company history only reveals that the founder had his designs manufactured in Asia in 1984.
Thomas Sabo
- Origin
- Germany
- Founded
- 1984
- Group
- Independent
- Production
- Not disclosed
- Core materials
- Sterling silver
- Price level
- 2/4
How much this brand discloses, and how much of it we could verify. It is not a quality rating — a composition line cannot tell you how good a fabric is. How we calculate it
- Production disclosure 0/25
- Linked sources 20/20
- Own material check 0/15
- Fabric weight stated 0/12
- Country stated per product 0/10
- Construction detail stated 0/10
- Cost breakdown published 0/8
Evidence for the price Below what this price band usually documents
Who the brand is for
People who want silver jewellery with a recognisable style: charms, pendants, necklaces and rings, the darker Rebel at Heart line for men, plus watches since 2009 and eyewear since 2019. The company describes itself as a premium-segment supplier and sells through its own stores, jewellers and online. According to a 2021 press release, the range comprised around 3,000 items.
Who owns it
On 8 May 1984 Thomas Sabo started his silver jewellery business. He had his designs manufactured in Asia and sold them to traders at trade fairs. At the end of the 1980s he developed the concept of selling jewellery under a brand name; his father Franz Sabo supported the company as senior boss for many years. In 2016 the headquarters moved with around 500 employees into a new building on Silberstraße in Lauf, a street the town named after the material.
Legally the company is THOMAS SABO GmbH & Co. KG, registered at the Nuremberg district court. The general partner is Thomas Sabo Beteiligungs-GmbH, and according to the legal notice the managing directors are Thomas Sabo and Hanno Chevalier. The company calls itself owner-run, with more than 1,200 employees worldwide. It does not publish revenue or shareholdings on its own pages.
The design demonstrably comes from Lauf. Where the silver becomes a piece of jewellery remains open.
Where it is made
By its own account, all designs are created by an international design team at the headquarters in Lauf. On manufacturing, the company only speaks of production partners whose selection it considers important; it names neither countries nor factories. A supply chain policy from June 2021 binds suppliers to a code of conduct and excludes raw materials from conflict and high-risk areas. We found no list of manufacturing facilities.
Thomas Sabo has been a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council since February 2019, with first certification following in October 2021. The current certificate runs from 5 October 2024 to 5 October 2027. What is audited are the company's business practices against the council's code; it is not a seal for individual pieces or a disclosure of factories.
What the price buys — our view
This section is an assessment, not a finding. The base material is 925 sterling silver, and the online shop has its own category for recycled sterling silver. According to the company, silver residues from production are collected through a filter system and re-melted; what share of the range is made from recycled silver is not stated. You are therefore buying a brand with documented German origin, audited business practices and clearly named material, but without any statement on the country of production.
What we can document
- Founded on 8 May 1984 by Thomas Sabo, first designs manufactured in Asia, based in Lauf an der Pegnitz, more than 1,200 employees, 70 countries (company website)
- Legal form GmbH & Co. KG, general partner Thomas Sabo Beteiligungs-GmbH, managing directors Thomas Sabo and Hanno Chevalier (legal notice)
- RJC member since February 2019, certified until 5 October 2027 (Responsible Jewellery Council directory)
- Supply chain policy of 17 June 2021: no raw materials from conflict and high-risk areas (company document)
- Re-melting of silver residues from production (responsibility page)
What we cannot
- Production countries and factories — the company names none
- Share of recycled silver in the range — no figure published
- Revenue and shareholdings — not on the company pages
- Unit costs and wages at the production partners — not public
Sources
7 in total · archived internally- Unternehmensseite — Gründung 8. Mai 1984, Entwürfe in Asien gefertigt, Sitz Lauf, mehr als 1.200 Beschäftigte, 70 Länder, Uhren 2009, Brillen 2019 — THOMAS SABO Read 14 September 2026
- Impressum — THOMAS SABO GmbH & Co. KG, HRA 11080, Komplementärin Thomas Sabo Beteiligungs-GmbH, Geschäftsführer — THOMAS SABO Read 14 September 2026
- Verzeichnis Responsible Jewellery Council — Mitglied seit Februar 2019, Zertifikat 0000 5542, gültig 5. Oktober 2024 bis 5. Oktober 2027 — Responsible Jewellery Council Read 14 September 2026
- Pressemitteilung vom 27. Oktober 2021 — erste RJC-Zertifizierung, rund 3.000 Artikel, mehr als 70 Länder — THOMAS SABO / PR Newswire Read 14 September 2026
- Verantwortung — Produktionspartner, Wiedereinschmelzen von Silberresten, FSC-Verpackung, Verhaltenskodex für Lieferanten — THOMAS SABO Read 14 September 2026
- Lieferkettenrichtlinie vom 17. Juni 2021 — keine Rohstoffe aus Konflikt- und Hochrisikogebieten — THOMAS SABO Read 14 September 2026
- Onlineshop — Materialkategorie recyceltes Sterlingsilber — THOMAS SABO Read 14 September 2026
Reader reviews of Thomas Sabo
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Read on
A garment is made across several countries. The label almost always names only one of them. Which one, and what falls away in the process.
We asked twenty brands across four groups the same question: does the product page say where the item was made? The answer has nothing to do with price — and that is the real story.
Questions readers ask
Who owns Thomas Sabo?
THOMAS SABO GmbH & Co. KG of Lauf an der Pegnitz describes itself as owner-run. The general partner is Thomas Sabo Beteiligungs-GmbH, and the managing directors are founder Thomas Sabo and Hanno Chevalier. The company does not publish its shareholdings.
Where is Thomas Sabo jewellery made?
The company names no production countries. What is documented is that designs are created at the headquarters in Lauf and manufacturing lies with production partners. According to its company history, Thomas Sabo had his first designs manufactured in Asia in 1984.
Is Thomas Sabo a German brand?
Yes. The company was founded in Lauf an der Pegnitz in 1984, has its headquarters there with around 500 employees and designs its entire range there. Origin, headquarters and design are German; there is no statement on the place of production.
Is Thomas Sabo RJC-certified?
Yes. The company has been a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council since February 2019 and certified since October 2021; the current certificate runs until 5 October 2027. The audit covers business practices, not individual pieces.
Does Thomas Sabo use recycled silver?
Partly documented. According to the company, silver residues from production are filtered and re-melted, and the shop has a category for recycled sterling silver. The brand does not state a share for the whole range.