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In the Glow

Posted on September 17 2018

"Who Owns What": A Guide to the Jewellery Monopoly Board
 
Darling All

August’s heatwave is behind us, where we were so parched we practically panted for rain, rosé and aircon (in any order), whilst happily salivating at the prospect of the Knightsbridge super car season that saw the Gold Ferrari positively pirouette down Sloane Street in a golden haze of opulent testosterone fuelled fumes!  But now that September has arrived, and the petrol fumes have been put into a temperature sealed garage somewhere under a sand dune, we are once again searching for some glittering, endorphin producing inspiration!  What better place to go than Mayfair for some indulgence shopping??  Window of course darling!!
 



Flaneuring down Bond Street where luxury wafts over you enticingly, it is as if an IV drip full of magic realism is carousing through your veins making you believe you have escaped the everyday stepping instead into this hedonistic world!  The beauty, the opulence, the lust for sparkling, rare and unique pieces twinkling at you in temptation from renowned jewellery houses, full of sheer sparkling delight!  Forget confectionery shops, these are your candy crush highs for those who have wisely but sanctimoniously given up sugar!  

Whilst ecstatically in the saccharine throes of contemplating those deliciously dazzling diamonds, the investor Peter Lynch’s sage comments on Dunkin Donuts all those years ago (where he made a “tenbagger” profit) jumps to the fore and induces us to question who owns these companies?  Are they listed on the stock market, held by private equity or still in the hands of the family?  As Benjamin Franklin wrote “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest” and so the Baroque Rocks team like veritable Agatha Christie sleuths: uncovered some not unsurprising answers!  

Baroque Rocks is so in the “GLOW!!”  Did you know that just THREE companies own practically all the big jewellery houses!!  These megaliths of luxe are: LVMH, RICHEMONT & KERING.

LVMH
At the helm of LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) is the Lord of Luxe, Bernard Arnault, the French global taste-maker who oversees a veritable empire of 70 brands.  Arnault is worth roughly $77B according to Forbes.  LVMH has a cache of 9 fine jewellery and watch houses in its treasure chest:

Jewellery House

Jewellery / Watches

Country

Owned By

Bvlgari

Jewellery

Italian

LVMH

Christian Dior

Jewellery

French

LVMH

Chaumet

Jewellery French

LVMH

Fred

Jewellery

French

LVMH

Hublot

Watches

Swiss

LVMH

Louis Vuitton

Jewellery

French

LVMH

Tag Heuer

Watches

Swiss

LVMH

Zenith

Watches Swiss

LVMH

 

RICHEMONT
The second largest luxury goods company after LVMH!  The South African, Johann Rupert, who according to Forbes is worth $6.4B founded the Swiss luxury goods company in 1988 thanks to a spinoff of assets owned by his father’s company Rembrandt Group Limited (now Remgro).   Richemont’s casket of riches comprises of 20 brands with over half being fine jewellery and watch houses:  

Jewellery House

Jewellery / Watches

Country

Owned By

Cartier

Jewellery

French

Richemont

Van Cleef & Arpels

Jewellery

French

Richemont

Piaget

Jewellery Swiss

Richemont

Lange & Sohne

Watches

German

Richemont

Baume & Mercier

Watches

Swiss

Richemont

Dunhill

Watches

British

Richemont

JWC

Watches

Swiss

Richemont

Jaeger Le Coultre

Watches

Swiss

Richemont

Montblanc

Watches

German

Richemont

Panerai

Watches Italian

Richemont

Roger Dubois

Watches

Swiss

Richemont

Vacheron Constantin

Watches

Swiss

Richemont

 

KERING
Pronounced “caring” was founded in 1963 by the Frenchman Francois Pinault, though the company’s then incarnation was as a bricks, wood, and mortar business.  Fast forward to today they have sold off their non-luxury assets focusing purely on the luxury market!  KERING by name, caring by nature - Pinault was involved in quite the tussle over GUCCI with LVMH’s Arnault rather aggressively trying to annex the company!  KERING proved its mettle and GUCCI stayed put.  Pinault’s son Henri now runs the group with a family net-worth estimated by Forbes at $30.4B.  In their sparkling trousseau they hold 5 fine jewellery and watch brands:

Jewellery House

Jewellery / Watches

Country

Owned By

Boucheron

Jewellery

French

KERING

Gucci

Jewellery

Italian

KERING

Pomellato

Jewellery

Italian

KERING

Ulysse Nardin

Watches

Swiss

KERING

Yves Saint Laurent

Jewellery

French

KERING

 

OTHER
The magpie megaliths haven’t quite bought the entire bejewelled Monopoly board as other players entered the game, acquiring almost all the rest of the renowned jewellery houses:

Jewellery House

Jewellery / Watches

Country

Owned By

Asprey

Jewellery

English

Yucaipa Cos

Breguet

Watches

French

Swatch Group

Buccellati

Jewellery

Italian

Zhejiang

De Beers

Jewellery

Unknown

Anglo American M. Co.

Faberge

Jewellery

Russian

Gemfields

Garrard

Jewellery

English

Yucaipa Cos

Harry Winston

Jewellery

English

Swatch Group

Tiffany

Jewellery English

Listed Co.

 

PRIVATELY OWNED
And in case you were wondering whether there were still a few truly independent houses out there - there most certainly are and they are keeping their treasures close to their chests!!

Jewellery House

Jewellery / Watches

Country

Owned By

Baroque Rocks

Jewellery

English

deSG Family

Boodles

Jewellery

English

Wainright Family

Channel

Jewellery

French

Wertheimer Family

Chopard

Jewellery

Swiss

Scheufele Family

David Morris

Jewellery

English

Morris Family

De Grisogno

Jewellery

Swiss

Gruosi Family

Graff

Jewellery

English

Graff Family

Moussaieff

Jewellery

English

Moussaieff Family

 

FINALLY:
This year if you are deciding against a large splurge on a tantalising bauble then perhaps investing in a few shares with those Magpie Megaliths may bring you future riches which you can then splash on a physical brilliant bit of bling? 

Caveat here as investment advice is strictly verboten and more to the point giving a loved one a piece of paper with numbers on may go down like a sh** sandwich – akin to being given a printer!  Though if the printer were 3D that would be a step in the right direction as they can now print GOLD!!!  We’ve seen it with our own beady Baroque Rocks eyes – YES GOLD!!

With love from Emma and the Baroque Rocks Team

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