Harry Winston rated as the most prestigious jewelry brand
Harry Winston rated as the most prestigious jewelry brand
High net-worth consumers rated Harry Winston as the most prestigious jewelry brand, a recent survey conducted by the Luxury Institute found. Respondents in the 2008 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey cited Harry Winston as having “a great reputation,” being “the ultimate for diamond design,” and being known for “quality and exclusivity.”
Buccellati and Van Cleef and Arpels tied for second place, while Graff placed third. Buccellati was also rated most unique and exclusive.
“The luxury jewelry industry is still very inwardly-focused,” commented Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute. “This important segment of luxury can benefit from understanding how multi-millionaire consumers perceive jewelry brands on critical metrics that define what luxury truly is, and is not…True luxury leaders are unflinching in their desire to learn why consumers will, or will not, recommend their brands and then take positive action.”
The survey was conducted online, using a national sample of 513 Americans with an average income of $789,000 and an average net worth of $15.1 million.
The following list comprises the 20 jewelry brands that were rated (in alphabetical order):
- Asprey
- Blue Nile
- Boucheron
- Buccellati
- Bulgari
- Carrera y Carrers
- Cartier
- Chanel
- Chopard
- David Yurman
- De Beers
- Dior
- FRED
- Graff
- Gucci
- Harry Winston
- Mikimoto
- Piaget
- Tiffany
- Van Cleef and Arpels
Harry Winston is Deemed the Most Prestigious Jewelry Brand
It comes as no great surprise and about every six months or so the results of the survey are pretty much the same. This year too, a Luxury Institute survey conducted among wealthy consumers regarding luxury brands indicates that the brand perceived as most prestigious is Harry Winston.
The survey indicates that Harry Winston enjoys a very strong image as the “ultimate for diamond design” and that it has a reputation for both quality and exclusivity.
In the second place two other luxury brands were tied – Buccellati, which is perceived as being most unique and exclusive, and Van Cleef and Arpels. Graf came in third in the ranking.
The Luxury Institute notes that the report provides jewelry manufacturers with an important tool to understand how multi-millionaire consumers perceive jewelry brands on critical metrics that define what luxury truly is.
The study included 513 wealthy consumers with an average annual income of $789,000 and over. The average net worth of the respondents is $15.1 million.
About Harry Winston
Harry Winston (03.01.1896 – 12.08.1978) was an American jeweller. He donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958 after owning it for a decade. He once sent a 726 carat (145 g) rough diamond, “The Jonker“, through the US Postal Service, foregoing other more conventional means of secure transfer.
Harry Winston’s jewelry empire began with his acquisition of Arabella Huntington’s famous jewelry collection. The wife of railroad magnate Henry Huntington, Arabella amassed one of the world’s most prestigious collections of jewelry, largely from Parisian jewelers such as Cartier.
When Harry Winston purchased the collection after her death, the designs of the collection were quite old fashioned. Harry Winston redesigned the jewelry into more contemporary styles and showcased his unique skill at jewelry crafting. According to the Huntington museum: “He frequently boasted that Arabella’s famous necklace of pearls now adorned the necks of at least twodozen women around the world.”
One famous quote of his is, “People will stare. Make it worth their while.”
His name was mentioned in the Marilyn Monroe performance of the song “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend”.
More recently, Harry was infamously referenced on an episode of Project Runway by contestant Vincent Libretti. Fellow contestant Laura critiqued a Libretti design stating “She couldn’t f**cking walk in that dress, Vincent” to which Libretti coolly retorted “Why don’t you go shove some Harry Winstons up your nose.”
Harry Winston boutiques in the U.S. are in New York, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, Dallas, Boston, Honolulu, Bal Harbour, Chicago, and opening soon South Coast Plaza.
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