High net-worth consumers rated Harry Winston the most prestigious jewelry brand in the 2008, according to a survey by the Luxury Institute. Respondents cited Harry Winston as having “a great reputation,” being “the ultimate for diamond design,” and being known for “quality and exclusivity.”

Buccellati, which was rated most unique and exclusive, and Van Cleef and Arpels, tied for second place while Graff placed third, according to the Luxury Brand Status Index survey.

“The luxury jewelry industry is still very inwardly-focused,” said Milton Pedraza, chief executive officer of the New York-based firm. “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. Our impartial surveys are conducted with independent panels, with results tabulated by third-party analytical experts. This survey is proving to be one of our most popular, and the feedback is that CEOs love the objectivity of the metrics and actionable insights they derive from the candid comments from wealthy consumers.

True luxury leaders are unflinching in their desire to learn why consumers will, or will not, recommend their brands and then take positive action.”

Following are the 20 jewelry brands that were rated (alphabetical order):

1. Asprey
2. Blue Nile
3. Boucheron
4. Buccellati
5. Bulgari
6. Carrera y Carrera
7. Cartier
8. Chanel
9. Chopard
10. David Yurman
11. DeBeers
12. Dior
13. FRED
14. Graff
15. Gucci
16. Harry Winston
17. Mikimoto
18. Piaget
19. Tiffany
20. Van Cleef and Arpels
 
The proprietary Luxury Brand Status Index survey measures the prestige of leading brands among wealthy Americans. A national sample of 513 wealthy American consumers, with an average income of $789,000 and average net worth of $15.1 million, was surveyed online.

JCK