How one Paris square became the world’s address for jewellery, and who lives there now.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 15 November 2026
What is Place Vendôme?
An eight-sided square in Paris’s 1st arrondissement, laid out at the turn of the 18th century to a design by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, with a bronze column at its centre. It sits between the Tuileries and the Opéra, a short walk from the couture houses of rue Saint-Honoré, which is exactly why the jewellers came.
Which jewellers came first?
Frédéric Boucheron opened at No. 26 in 1893, the first of the great jewellers on the square. The Ritz hotel followed in 1898 and brought the world’s richest travellers with it. Van Cleef & Arpels was founded at No. 22 in 1906, and Chaumet moved to No. 12, the house where Chopin died, in 1907. Cartier settled at 13 rue de la Paix, the street running off the square, in 1899.
Who is there now?
Alongside the historic jewellers, the fashion houses have moved in with their own high jewellery salons: Chanel, Dior and Louis Vuitton all have addresses on the square, as do Bulgari, Graff and the watchmakers. Twice a year, during the couture weeks, the square turns into a showroom as houses present new collections to clients and press.
Are there other jewellery capitals?
Fifth Avenue in New York (Tiffany, Harry Winston, Cartier’s mansion), Via Condotti in Rome (Bulgari), Bond Street in London (Graff and many others), and Geneva, where the big jewellery auctions are held each May and November. In India, Jaipur is a world centre for coloured-stone cutting.
Read on Ayerhs: The History of French Fashion Houses and Their Global Impact · 25 Luxury Brands to Know in 2027