Harry Winston Tops Wealthy American’s Jewelry List

According to the 2006 Luxury Brand Holiday Gift Guide, wealthy Americans consider Harry Winston to be the top jewelry brand.  The guide lists how the wealthy rate and rank the firms that they do business with across leading luxury categories.

Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute, which published the survey, says wealthy people are not a demographic prone to fads and trends.  In addition to personal taste, the wealthy do their gift buying based largely on a company's reputation and standing with fellow wealthy consumers.

Harry Winston, which tops the ultra-luxury jewelry category, is first in all four critical metrics of luxury brand prestige: consistently superior quality, uniqueness and exclusivity, social status, and the ability of the brand to make customers feel special throughout the entire customer experience.  Tiffany and Cartier tie for second place, while Japanese pearl specialist Mikimoto comes in third.

Among 17 brands of watches whose top offerings retail above the $50,000 mark, wealthy Americans have particularly high regard for Franck Muller and Patek Philippe.  Other especially prestigious brands in the eyes of the wealthy include Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, and Breguet.

In the luxury writing instruments category, Ducati and Jaguar from Italian firm Aquila lead the pack.  Other options include Montblanc, which earned top marks for delivering consistently superior quality, and Tiffany, which wealthy consumers say does the best job of making them feel special throughout the customer experience.

Other brands that cultivated a strong image, and should reap significant rewards this holiday season, are retailer Nordstrom, Bottega Veneta, which earns the highest Luxury Brand Status Index score in fashion, and Cartier fragrance brands for women.

Rolls Royce is the leading ultra-luxury car (Porsche is the “just” luxury car favorite), and Ritz-Carlton still tops in brand prestige hotels among the wealthy, edging out Peninsula.