When it comes to heritage, there are not many jewelry brands that can compete with Garrard. None, in fact, if the British jeweler’s website is to be believed. With the starting pistol for its race into the history books officially sounding in 1735, its story is a saga rich with monarchs, diamonds and intrigue.
“The jewelry and the history are part and parcel for us,” says Garrard creative director Sarah Prentice, as she settles back into a plush sofa beneath a spectacular chandelier in the brand’s flagship store on London’s Albemarle Street (just a hop, skip and a jump from the city’s premier shopping promenade, Bond Street).
“We’ve got this amazing history that some people know about and others don’t. We want to tell people about it, so in every collection since I joined [in 2012], I’ve tried to relate it to some element of Garrard’s past. I felt the Britishness of the brand needed to be celebrated.”
A recent example is the new Jewelled Vault collection of one-of-a-kind pieces centered around exceptional single stones, such as pigeon blood rubies and Colombian emeralds. It was inspired by a former customer of Garrard, the Grand Duchess Maria Alexandranov of Russia, who in 1874 married Prince Alfred, duke of Edinburgh and second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. She famously housed her vast jewelry collection in a guarded walk-in vault organized by stone color.
The more commercial Fanfare collection, which launched — and mostly sold out — at March’s Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition in Qatar, references the fans women carried on their way to London’s theater district in the 18th century. It was in this vibrant spot that Garrard opened its debut store and where it remained for its first 190 years.
Regal legacy
A lot of Garrard’s history features the royal family. It has previously been crown jeweler, making it one of the few companies trusted to work on the Crown Jewels. And as a royal warrant holder for nearly 300 years, it has created many pieces for the British royal family. One of these is the famous sapphire and diamond cluster ring Kate Middleton, duchess of Cambridge, now wears.
“We’ve definitely seen a rise [in demand for similar rings] since she’s been on the scene,” says Prentice.
The brand’s London store is a celebration of this connection, displaying crowns in glass cases and featuring pictures of Queen Elizabeth II on the walls. Recently, however, it has tried to become more accessible. A revamp removed cabinets in favor of additional seating spaces, and upstairs, customers are encouraged to observe the workshops. VIPs can also enjoy an afternoon tea that the design team hosts in the Queen Mary private room. “We call it tea and tiaras,” laughs Prentice.
The customer is king
Garrard’s name travels well, too. The brand sells through third-party retailers in Russia, the Middle East and China, its fastest-growing market. In Shanghai, there is a standalone Garrard boutique, and a second such store will open in Beijing this June. While local retailers operate the stores, Prentice oversees their launch. “The reason we wholesale is, they know their market better than us,” she says.
Though its core Britishness is what attracts shoppers overseas, Prentice does design differently for each of Garrard’s main markets. Jewelled Vault has been very popular in China, for example, while Russian shoppers want a big look but not necessarily big stones. In the Middle East, consumers love the brand’s sparkling high-jewelry diamond designs, such as the new White Rose suite inspired by the 18.80-carat Cullinan V diamond that Queen Mary received as a gift in 1910 and that Garrard set into a platinum brooch.
Modernizing majesty
And then there is the next generation. Garrard is introducing more entry-level designs for gifting and self-purchasing. Even its famous diamond tiaras have been scaled down in the more wearable Princess line, which offers repeatable designs for the first time. “We are doing more and more tiaras,” says Prentice, citing the increasing demand from modern brides for this nostalgic trinket.
The veteran jewelry house is also starting to invest in the internet. It has redone its website, and Prentice says it’s drawing in a new crowd that is learning about Garrard and testing the waters from the safety of a screen.
“The web enquiry line is good, because you have that interaction with someone, so you’ve made the initial connection,” she says. Having a person to ask for by name gives new shoppers more confidence when braving the gauntlet of security guards. The jeweler is not interested in e-commerce right now, but it is starting to develop a presence on social media, investing in a digital team and hiring an in-house photographer.
Though antique crowns and dusty ledgers might spring to mind when you think of Garrard — and indeed, such romantic visions are incredibly important to its legacy — Prentice and her team are dedicated not only to preserving the past, but to adapting the jeweler’s enviable brand story and classical craftsmanship so it remains just as relevant and exciting for the next three centuries.
Image: GarradArticle from the Rapaport Magazine - April 2018. To subscribe click here.