The Best Jewelry Stores in the World
There is no doubt that luxury jewelry is a market that is worth billions of dollars every year, so you may be considering your first luxury jewelry purchase or adding to your ever-expanding collection. However, the question still remains: where are the best jewelry stores to go to?
High-end jewelry brands for men and women continue to grow in popularity. Do you favor the refined traditionalism of Tiffany & Co. or the effortlessly individual Whiteflash that prides itself on quality over premiums?
There are a few factors in common among the world's most famous jewelry stores -- excellent customer service, superb quality and design, and of course a price tag. Nevertheless, each jeweler has a few distinct characteristics that make them unique in the history of great designers of jewelry. Let's take a look at some of the best below.
1. Tiffany and Co
The first installment of our list of the best jewelry stores is
Tiffany & Co. Established in 1837 as Tiffany & Young, Tiffany & Co. began as a stationery and fancy goods store. Nowadays, however, it is a household name. The company has long been recognized for its silver craftsmanship, making Tiffany and Co.
the most renowned silversmith in America.
Tiffany's most popular and well-known pieces include the Return To Tiffany, Tiffany Key, Tiffany Soleste, and their signature 6 prong engagement rings. Their store experience is striving to reinvent luxury retail, something we can relate to here at
Whiteflash.
When you see that distinctive shade of powder blue, you immediately think about legendary jewelers Tiffany & Co. Certainly not by accident, Tiffany & Co. have trademarked the particular shade of blue used in all of their advertisements.
In addition to Tiffany's iconic status and classic designs, the brand is known for classic tiffany-style settings popularized by the brand. Tiffany's continues to be recognized as the "best place on Earth" through the Truman Capote novella and famous film Breakfast at Tiffany's. It was once worn by all the prominent New York families and continues to be sought after, making it a staple on the list of best jewelry stores.
2. Cartier
Since the company was founded by Louis-Francois Cartier in Paris in 1847,
Cartier jewelry and wristwatches have emerged as one of the world's most renowned jewelers and are the only company that can truly claim the title "The Jeweler of Kings, the King among Jewelers." From King Edward VII's crown worn at his coronation in 1904 to Kate Middleton's wedding tiara in 2010, Cartier has been outfitting members of the royal family from more than ten countries.
The LOVE collection and Cartier's Tank collection are the most popular and modern offerings from Cartier at this time. The company pioneered the
combination of platinum and diamond with their LOVE collection, Juste un Clou, and Panthere lines. Celebrities and style icons around the world are drawn to these distinct collections available in different color gold variations, and we can see why.
Cartier's heritage alone solidifies its spot on the best jewelry stores list. While it is a jewelry company founded on traditions and rooted in the past, it has also moved confidently into the 21st century, with 200 stores around the globe, including flagship boutiques in New York, London, Paris, and Tokyo.
3. Harry Winston
There are only a handful of jewelers whose fame and reputation can be attributed to a single individual, and
Harry Winston Jewelry Company is one of them. During his lifetime, Harry Winston was among the best jewelry designers and craftsmen of his time.
According to legend, Winston's natural sense of gem quality culminated at the age of 12 when he recognized a two-carat emerald being sold as a fake, purchased it for 25 cents, and sold it for $800 days later. While there might not be any merit to the story, it is certainly impressive to imagine. He’d be a welcomed addition to our
team of experts at Whiteflash.
Having taken over the family business, Winston established his presence on the famous jewelers world scene by purchasing Arabella Huntington's famed, yet outdated, jewelry collection and resetting the stones in more contemporary designs, earning him instant fame and notoriety.
He became known as the "King of Diamonds" and "Jeweler to the Stars" for his outstanding jewelry creations; it's no wonder why it's one of the world's best jewelry stores to date.
Among the most notable pieces he acquired was the 45.42
carat Hope Diamond, a heart-shaped grayish-blue diamond crown centerpiece, which later was passed to King George IV. Today, it is on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.
4. Bulgari
Since its humble beginnings in a small Greek village,
Bulgari jewelry has grown to become one of the most prestigious jewelers in the world. It opened its first Italian store in Rome in 1884 shortly after its founding by Greek jeweler Sotirios Voulgaris.
Its distinctive style and
use of gold and colored stones, which included sapphires, soon made it known for its bold, distinctive designs. A generation later, Voulgaris' descendants expanded the brand to include watchmaking, fragrances, and other luxury goods, opening stores in Paris, New York, Geneva and Monte Carlo. However, they continued to spell Bulgari with the ‘V’ traditional of the Latin alphabet.
Even as it diversifies, it still earns a place on our list of the best jewelry stores.
LVMH purchased Bulgari in October 2011 for a record-breaking $6.01 billion, bringing Bulgari to almost 300 stores around the world. Bulgari's pieces are ideal if you want something a little more exotic than your usual gems. You can imagine Cleopatra wearing them if she lived today.
5. Chow Tai Fook
With its largest store in Asia, Chow Tai Fook may very well be among the world's largest jewelry retailers for that alone. In 1929, the company was founded in Guangzhou, China, but between then and now it has moved a few times, first to Macau, then to Hong Kong.
These days Chow Tai Fook has over 1000 stores in mainland China and more in Hong Kong, you cannot travel around the city without seeing one.
The jewelry store prospered, and the business expanded into real estate development, telecommunications, and transportation. Today, the company trades on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Moreover, the company held the record for the biggest diamond purchase in 2017, an impressive 59.6-carat Pink Star diamond for a cool $71 million. This was, at the time, the largest internally flawless diamond of its kind graded by the
Gemological Institute of America. In honor of the company's founder, it was renamed the CTF Pink Star Diamond.
Chow Tai Fook offers beautiful diamonds that are above average in comparison with other physical retail outlets. Since many jewelry retailers cut corners and stock inferior diamonds, it is uncommon for such a large retailer to offer such high quality - as we know, this always comes at a cost and that’s to be expected.
Impeccable interior design, sublime customer service, and their vast presence in Asia make it, without a doubt, one of the very best jewelry stores in that region.
6. Buccellati
In Milan,
Buccellati is regarded as the best jewelry store - a noteworthy feat considering Italy's reputation for high-end design.
Buccellati had expanded to the US by the 1950s after being founded in 1919, with stores in New York and Florida. In its impressively sized showroom, Buccellati's boutique on Via Monte Napoleone 23 has some of the most beautiful objects on the street, from fine silverware to unique jewelry designs.
The Buccellati family continues to design many of the items in Buccellati's catalog today. The design of the company is overseen jointly by Andrea Buccellati and his daughter Lucrezia.
Buccellati jewelry is renowned for having no untouched gold. Every piece of jewelry is beautifully engraved. Their signature engrave, known as "Rigato," uses hand-applied stripes to create the illusion of silk fabric on gold surfaces. This is a unique look that can be seen on their fine jewelry, including their cuffs, rings, and more.
A Buccellati cut diamond was released by the Milan-based jeweler to commemorate its 100th anniversary. A nearly year-long design process was undertaken by Tache Diamonds to maximize its brilliance and fire. Featuring 57 facets, the Buccellati cut appears like a square-cut diamond at its center, flanked by four half circles each.
The Gemological Institute of America has likened a Buccellati cut diamond to a flower, making it an ideal complement to any of their designs.
7. Chopard
Founded by Louis-Ulysse Chopard in 1860,
Chopard is a Swiss jewelry brand that first became popular with women for its timepieces and pocket watches. Following Chopard's sale to Karl Scheufele in 1963, the brand was known for its
vintage Art-Deco-inspired timepieces.
A trademark of the brand is the dreamy, free floating diamonds behind the watch glass. Affectionately named ‘Happy Diamonds’, these dancing stones captured in jewelry pieces are playful and pretty.
Now, Chopard is the official timekeeper of the Monaco Grand Prix and the Mille Miglia and partner of the Cannes Film Festival. Chopard is committed to using ethically sourced gold for its jewelry and hopes to eventually use sustainable gold for all products. The Scheufele family, succeeding the Chopard family, continues on the classic values and style associated with the brand - a hallmark of the best stores.
8. Damiani
Damiani jewelry has a storied history of an Italian family invested in the art of jewelry making. Three generations of the Damiani family have led the company creatively since it was founded in 1924 - making Damiani a true family company.
Enrico Grassi Damiani built his company by designing diamond jewelry for the Italian nobility. Damiani quickly gained a reputation as one of the finest Italian jewelers. Developing a prestigious reputation among affluent Italians, the family jewelers quietly refined and innovated the classic Damiani style. It was in 1980 that the Damiani family decided to expand their brand's reach.
From an early age, his children watched jewelry being created and crafted, from diamonds to precious stones; they began to take an interest in the business even before joining. The Damiani children have preserved the high quality of their designs and jewelry work to a great extent.
Damiani is today a global brand whose collections derive from long goldsmith traditions with a consolidated image and that continues to conquer new markets.
9. Whiteflash
Although many people are attracted to owning jewelry from one of the storied brands, modern shoppers would rather experience a superior quality without the steep price premium. And that is exactly what we provide at
Whiteflash.
The information age has brought Whiteflash Ideal Diamonds and Fine Jewelry to a new level of prestige, and diamond connoisseurs all over the world are taking note. I believe we are entitled to a spot on that list of the best jewelry stores, if you’ll indulge us!
We provide jewelry with the same excellent quality as the finest of the historic brands based on our exclusive
A CUT ABOVE® Super Ideal Cut Diamonds, and our portfolio of fine bridal designer brands like
Tacori,
Verragio,
Simon G,
A.Jaffe,
Danhov, and many more.
Diamond connoisseurs consider our
A CUT ABOVE® Super Ideal Diamonds to be among the world's finest diamonds because of their craftsmanship and proven light performance. This collection is available exclusively at Whiteflash.
We're leveraging information technology to sell heirloom-quality items at a lower price than the traditional luxury stores. Additionally, many people do not feel comfortable stepping inside one of these elite establishments - that experience is not for everybody.
You can browse effectively, unassisted, and easily on our website, and you can securely buy any Whiteflash product right here online thanks to a wealth of information about our products available at your fingertips. We are industry experts in diamond information and education, and have collaboratively written a series of articles on the grading of diamonds with the
American Gem Society Laboratories.
A credentialed diamond and jewelry consultant is always available by email, phone, or live chat if assistance is required. Customers that prefer a hands-on experience can
schedule an appointment at the Whiteflash boutique showroom where knowledgeable and friendly staff are ready to make the experience enjoyable and informative.
Whiteflash may not be as well known as Tiffanys or Cartier, but imagine if you had the opportunity to buy a piece before everyone else did!