Harry Winston, Graff and Jacob & Co. are the most expensive jewelry brands in 2026, judged by what their top pieces sell for: a Winston pink diamond at about $50 million, a Graff blue diamond at 16.4 million pounds and a Jacob & Co. watch at $20 million. Cartier, Tiffany and Bulgari sit one tier below on single-piece prices but are far bigger businesses. Most of these houses do not publish prices, so this list ranks ten brands by the most expensive pieces they have sold or shown, as of October 2026, with the evidence next to each.
| Rank | Brand | Top piece we could verify | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harry Winston | Winston Pink Legacy diamond | about $50 million (2018) |
| 2 | Graff | Wittelsbach-Graff blue diamond | GBP 16.4 million (2008) |
| 3 | Jacob & Co. | Billionaire Timeless Treasure watch | $20 million |
| 4 | Cartier | Brand value, not a single piece | $12.2 billion brand value (2020) |
| 5 | Tiffany & Co. | LVMH takeover | $15.8 billion (2021) |
| 6 | Van Cleef & Arpels | 1936 Mystery Setting piece | $326,500 (2009 auction) |
| 7 | Chopard | Happy Diamond watch | $1.67 million (2015 auction) |
| 8 | Bulgari | LVMH takeover | EUR 4.3 billion (2011) |
| 9 | Boucheron | Quatre 5D Memory ring | Price on request |
| 10 | Mikimoto | South Sea pearl high jewelry | Price on request |
1. Harry Winston
Winston’s name is built on the stones, not the settings. In May 2014 the house bought a 13.22-carat flawless vivid blue diamond at auction for $23.8 million and renamed it the Winston Blue. In 2018 it bought a pink diamond at Christie’s for 50.375 million Swiss francs, about $50 million, which at roughly $2.6 million a carat was a record for a pink at the time. It was renamed the Winston Pink Legacy. Swatch Group bought the company in January 2013 for around $750 million plus debt.
We rank it first on the highest verified single purchase by a jewelry house, $50 million in 2018.
2. Graff
Laurence Graff bought the Wittelsbach-Graff, a 31.06-carat internally flawless fancy deep blue diamond, in 2008 for 16.4 million pounds. He also bought the Windsor Yellows, a pair of pear-shaped fancy yellow diamonds from the Duchess of Windsor’s collection, in Geneva in 1987. Graff turned a 603-carat rough diamond, the Lesotho Promise, bought for $12.4 million in 2006, into 26 D-flawless stones weighing 223.35 carats.
The ranking rests on the 2008 purchase price, which is lower than the Winston record but part of a longer record of big stones.
3. Jacob & Co.
The New York house is better known for jeweled watches, and its prices follow. The Billionaire watch, set with 260 carats of diamonds, was unveiled in 2015 at $18 million and bought by the boxer Floyd Mayweather in 2018. Its Billionaire Timeless Treasure, with 880 carats of yellow diamonds, sold at $20 million.
We use the $20 million sale price for the Timeless Treasure.
4. Cartier
Cartier has sold jewelry to royalty since King Edward VII ordered 27 tiaras for his coronation in 1902. Forbes put its brand value at $12.2 billion in 2020 with revenue of $6.2 billion, and a 2026 industry estimate puts its jewelry revenue at about $7.3 billion. Its everyday pieces cost thousands, and its high jewelry costs millions on request.
Because Cartier does not publish a top price, we rank it on its market value and place it fourth.
5. Tiffany & Co.
LVMH acquired a majority stake in Tiffany for $15.8 billion in January 2021. The company reported net sales of $4.44 billion in 2018 and operated over 300 stores in 2023. Its entry pieces cost far less than those of the houses above, but its top diamonds do not.
We rank it on the 2021 takeover value, a measure of the brand and not of single pieces.
6. Van Cleef & Arpels
A 1936 Van Cleef custom piece with the house’s Mystery Setting sold at Christie’s New York in 2009 for $326,500. Bird, flower and animal motifs mark its work, and a small retail footprint adds to the exclusivity.
This is a single old auction result, so the rank reflects its price tier more than a record.
7. Chopard
Christie’s sold a Chopard Happy Diamond watch with a 2.62-carat pink marquise diamond and a 1.48-carat blue one in Geneva on November 10, 2015 for around $1.67 million. Annual sales were CHF 800 million in 2014.
We use the 2015 auction result, which is the highest we found for the house.
8. Bulgari
In 2011 the Bulgari family sold its shares to LVMH in an all-share deal valued at EUR 4.3 billion. Bold colour, cabochon stones and Italian gold work are its trademarks.
The rank is based on the 2011 deal value, not on prices of individual pieces.
9. Boucheron
Gucci acquired Boucheron in 2000, and it later passed to PPR, now Kering. It has 34 boutiques and in 2023 launched the Quatre 5D Memory ring, which holds a recorded sound of ocean waves in a capsule.
Prices are on request, so we rank it by the tier of its high jewelry.
10. Mikimoto
Kokichi Mikimoto began cultivating pearls in 1893 and is credited with inventing the cultured pearl. Its high jewelry is still built around rare South Sea pearls.
Prices for its top necklaces are not published, so this slot reflects tier.
What changed since our old list
The old 2016 list ranked Chopard, Mikimoto, Bvlgari, Piaget, Graff, Tiffany, Buccellati, Van Cleef, Cartier and Harry Winston, mainly on reputation. We re-ranked on evidence of what the top pieces cost, which moves Harry Winston, Graff and Jacob & Co. to the top and Cartier and Tiffany down on a per-piece basis. We dropped Piaget and Buccellati, for which we found no price evidence this time. We found no new brand-level record for 2025 or 2026.
What drives these prices
- Stone size. A single 15 to 60 carat diamond sets the ceiling.
- Ownership of the stone. Houses like Winston and Graff buy stones at auction and sell them on.
- Price on request. Most high jewelry is not priced publicly.
- Brand versus piece. Cartier and Tiffany are worth more as businesses than any one object they sell.
FAQ
What is the most expensive jewelry brand in the world?
On the price of top pieces, Harry Winston, which bought a pink diamond for about $50 million in 2018. Graff and Jacob & Co. follow.
Is Cartier more expensive than Tiffany?
Both sell pieces from a few thousand dollars to millions. Cartier’s brand value was $12.2 billion in 2020, and LVMH paid $15.8 billion for Tiffany in 2021, so the two are close.
Which jewelry brand sells the biggest diamonds?
Graff and Harry Winston, which buy large rough and cut diamonds at auction.
Why do most jewelry brands not list prices?
High jewelry is made to order, so prices are quoted on request.
Which jewelry brand is owned by LVMH?
Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari are both owned by LVMH.
Are these prices current?
They are the most recent verified figures we found, some from earlier years, as of October 2026.
How we put this list together
We ranked brands by the highest verified price of a piece they bought or sold and, where no price was published, by brand value or tier. Figures are approximate and change over time.
Keep reading
- Assets that hold their value the longest: how gems and jewelry compare as stores of value
- Assets rich people use to preserve wealth: where jewelry sits in a wealth plan
Last updated: October 2026.
