The art of jewelry making is a centuries old tradition that revolves around the use of precious stones. It was in ancient Greece along with gold a serious presence of precious stones can be dated. The Roman Empire used Sapphires, emeralds, and amber in jewelry. The 19th century brought back the old fascination with extravagant jewelry and it became a necessity for the elite and noble class people.
The jewelry market has exploded in recent years, and people are increasingly looking for rare gems to add to their collections. Many jewelers have taken advantage of this demand, and some of them are well-known institutions that continue to produce high-quality jewelry. Some of the prominent jewelers include Swarovski, Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Harry Winston Inc., and Van Cleef & Arpels.
Swarovski
Swarovski, a company that produces fine crystal jewelry, was founded in 1859 by Daniel Swarovski and Armand Kosman. The company has a net revenue of €2.7 billion and is based in Austria. Swarovski’s gemstones are some of the most popular in the world, and its collections include both crystals and jewelry. ..
Unique Factor
Swarovski became a prominent jewelry producer when they decided to create man-made crystals - using glass, rather than naturally made. They introduced Lead Glass Crystals which are less than diamond but far better than natural crystals with extra sparkle and clarity. These crystals are produced with a secret patented method, using Quartz, sand, and minerals. 32% lead and their patented machine cutting, precision cutting, which will give up to 100 facets to the crystal, provides a higher refraction rate, similar to diamond, and lead glass Crystals shine like diamonds. ..
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany’s, a luxury jewelry brand, was founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B Young. The company specializes in diamond, jewelry, sterling silver, and crystals. As of 2016, the company had a revenue of $4.44 billion and 326 stores around the world. ..
Unique Factor
In 1886, Tiffany introduced a new way of mounting gemstones in the metal ring band, which made their engagement rings world-famous. A solitaire, single diamond, prong setting ring became a huge success and is now the symbol of engagement itself. ..
Cartier
The company produces a wide variety of jewelry, including watches, diamond and crystal jewelry, and gemstone jewelry. Cartier is well-known for its royal customers, including the kings of Spain, Portugal, Serbia, Russia, and Britain.
Unique Factor
It was the Indian-inspired Tutti-Frutti jewelry that becomes a symbol of Cartier and is still known as Cartier Tutti-Frutti. They used the Indian stone carving technique and began to make stone carving bib necklaces and brooches studded with carved Rubis, Emerald, and Sapphires. They began to appear in natural motifs like leaves, fruits, etc. This was instead of the white diamond heavy jewelry. It was Cartier who first used platinum in jewelry, which was till then used only in royal cutlery. King Edward VII of Great Britain mentioned Cartier as the “Jeweller of kings and the king of jewelers”. There was this slogan “Les must de Cartier” which means “Cartier, it’s a must!” ..
Harry Winston, Inc.
Harry Winston, Inc. was founded in 1932 by Harry Winston. The company is known for its collection of rare and colorful natural gemstones, which has made it a favorite of the cosmopolitan magazine. ..
Unique Factor
The clustering technique is a signature Harry Winston technique that uses small, pearl-shaped and Marquise cut diamonds to create a single big stone or even smaller ones. This will make the small stones look larger. An example of this is the Wreath Necklace.
Harry Winston is known for its exquisite diamond and gemstone collections. Some of the most iconic gems in their collection include the Hope diamond, Indore Pears diamond, Catherine the great sapphire, The Jonker I diamond, Burmese ruby, The Winston diamond, and so on. ..
Van Cleef & Arpels
The Van Cleef & Arpels company is a leading jeweler and watchmaker with a portfolio that includes luxury watches, jewelry, and perfume. Alfred Van Cleef and Salomon Arpels founded the company in 1896, and over the years they have contributed to many royal collections. In particular, they have been known for their work on crowns and other important items for the royal family.
Unique Factor
The Serti Mysterieux is a trademark of Van Cleef & Arpels. It is an innovative patented way of setting gems in a jewelry piece by placing them in thin gold rails of 0.2 mm thick which will create an allusion of colorful gems suspended freely in ornate shapes. These gems together mask the gold rail underneath. This method was introduced in the year 1933. Another masterpiece of Van Cleef & Arpels is Alhambra Necklace introduced in 1968. It is motif-like pendants and figures of four-leaf Clover.
There are many pioneers in the field of jewelry production. Each brand had one way or the other marked itself in history with at least one of its innovations. Whether it’s innovative jewelry designs or gem settings or gem collections most of them had made it to the world market. Some of such exceptional jewelers are Swarovski, Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Harry Winston Inc., Van Cleef & Arpels, and so on. This list goes on with many more prominent names such as Pandora, Graff, Chopard, Bulgari, Mejuri, etc. However, not all jewelers have been able to keep up with the times and remain successful. Some have gone out of business while others have had to make changes in order to stay afloat in a competitive market. One such jeweler that has faced many challenges is Tiffany & Co.. Tiffany & Co.’s recent struggles can be traced back to a few key factors: a changing industry landscape; increased competition from other luxury brands; and an overall decline in consumer spending. Despite these challenges Tiffany has been able to maintain its status as one of the most iconic luxury brands in the world by innovating its jewelry designs and setting trends with its gemstone selections. ..
