Argor-Heraeus traces back to 1951, when Emilio Weiss and Elvio Zoppi founded Argor SA in Chiasso, Switzerland — the name itself blending the Italian words for silver (argento) and gold (oro). Union Bank of Switzerland acquired a majority stake in 1960 and full ownership by 1973, before exiting in 1999. In 1986, Argor merged with the Heraeus Group to form Argor-Heraeus, relocating headquarters to Mendrisio. The company's London Gold Market membership dates back to 1961, well before the modern LBMA existed, giving it one of the longest continuous trading relationships of any Swiss refiner on this list.
Argor-Heraeus holds a distinction only four other refiners worldwide share: it's one of the LBMA's Good Delivery Referees, the small group of refiners responsible for monitoring and verifying the quality standards of every other accredited gold refiner. That's a meaningfully different role than simply being accredited — it means Argor-Heraeus is part of the system that polices refiner quality globally, which lends its own bars a particularly strong trust signal among dealers and collectors who understand the distinction.
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Start tracking freeIt's one of only five refiners worldwide responsible for monitoring and verifying the quality standards of every other LBMA-accredited refiner — a more significant role than ordinary accreditation, and a strong trust signal for its own bars.
It formed through a 1986 merger of two refiners: Argor SA (itself named from the Italian words for silver and gold) and the Heraeus Group.
Since 1961, when Argor SA joined the London Gold Market — decades before the modern LBMA accreditation system existed.