Founded in 1919 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by three brothers, the family-owned firm is directed by Mark Adlestone, the founder's grandson. Beaverbrooks the Jewellers has more of the quintessential obsession with shiny objects than it does with gnawing wood or building dams. The company designs, produces, and markets platinum, gold, and silver jewelry for men, women, and children, as well as engagement rings, wedding rings, and watches. Items range in price from about $20 to more than $8,000 and are distributed through more than 60 UK-based retail stores and a Web site.

Founded by Samuel Silverman in 1912, today jewelry chain Ben Bridge Jeweler operates more than 70 stores in a dozen mostly western states, including Alaska and Hawaii. The company sells platinum, 14- and 18-karat gold jewelry, diamonds, watches, and bridal and anniversary fare from its mall-based stores and Web site. Ben Bridge married Silverman's daughter in 1922, bought out his father-in-law, and renamed the company after himself. Still run by the Bridge family, the company became a subsidiary of billionaire investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway in 2000.

Bromberg and Co. is a jeweler and high-end retailer that sells china, crystal, jewelry, and sterling flatware through four Bromberg's stores in Alabama. Its fine offerings come from such makers as David Yurman, Mikimoto, Rolex, and Wedgwood. The company also operates an online bridal registry. In 2004 brothers Billy and John Bromberg, formerly part of the company's management, sold their stake in Bromberg and Co. to other family members (including chairman Frank Bromberg Jr.) and left to form their own jewelry store. Bromberg and Co. was originally founded by the Bromberg family in 1836.

Charles & Colvard, Ltd. manufactures, markets, and distributes Moissanite jewels for use in fine jewelry in the United States and internationally. It offers near-colorless moissanite jewels cut in various shapes, including round, square brilliant, cushion, radiant, pear, marquise, and oval in sizes ranging from approximately 2 to 12 millimeters, as well as green moissanite jewels. The company primarily sells its loose moissanite jewels to jewel distributors and jewelry manufacturers. It also distributes finished moissanite jewelry to various retailers, including television shopping channels. Charles and Colvard, Ltd. company was founded in 1995 and is based in Morrisville, North Carolina.

Hong Kong-based Chow Sang Sang has its eye on China and the growing luxury market there. The company operates about 155 Chow Sang Sang jewelery stores in some 60 cities across mainland China, with another 50-plus stores in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The fast-growing jeweler aims to open another 50 shops in the near future. The company makes and sells necklaces, bracelets, watches, diamonds, and other shiny luxuries and trendy baubles. Chow Sang Sang has production facilities in China and in Hong Kong. It also wholesales precious metals (gold, platinum, and palladium) and brokers stocks and commodities. Chairman Kwen Lim Chow and general manager Wing Shing Chow together own about a third of the company.

DCK Concessions are one of the leading fashion jewellery retailers in the world. We trade in 3000 concession outlets across 22 countries worldwide from Iceland to Australia. All our outlets are within host retailer's stores. For example, our biggest selling jewellery brand in the UK, Freedom, is available at Topshop, which is part of the Arcadia Group. We have probably the largest design, sourcing and buying team for fashion jewellery worldwide. We lead the way in directional jewellery as well as essentials and younger more novelty items. Our retailers have the option of choosing one of our branded ranges: Freedom or Diva, or having a range tailor made exclusively for them. We are constantly updating our ranges with the latest trends as well as ensuring that all outlets are managed to a consistently high standard.

DSGE Companies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, buys and sells jewelry, bullion products, and rare coins in the United States. The company offers finished jewelry, gem stones, and gold jewelry components, and makes custom jewelry to order; and provides jewelry repair services. It also provides precious metals products, including the United States and other government coins, medallions, art bars, and trade unit bars; and makes pawn loans on the pledge of tangible personal property, primarily jewelry, as well as conducts regular online auctions. In addition, the company makes collateralized loans to individuals in the state of Texas. Further, DSGE Companies, Inc. operates a retail store under the name Dallas Gold & Silver Exchange. The company markets its products and services through its facilities in Dallas and Euless, Texas; Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina; and Woodland Hills, California, as well as through its Internet Web sites DGSE.com, CGDEinc.com, SGBH.com, SuperiorPreciousMetals.com, SuperiorEstateBuyers.com, USBullionExchange.com, Americangoldandsilverexchange.com, and FairchildWatches.com. It operates 8 primary Internet sites and approximately 900 related landing sites. The company serves individual consumers, dealers, and institutions. DSGE Companies, Inc. was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Elegant Illusions, Inc. engages in the retail created gem jewelry business. As of February 7, 2007, it operated 17 specialty stores in the continental United States. Elegant Illusions, Inc. offers fine jewelry and replications of fine jewelry, known as copy jewelry items that are manufactured with synthetic stones set in gold, sterling silver vermeil, or plated brass. Its stores offer a range of jewelry, including rings, pendants, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, pearl enhancers, ear charms, sterling silver vermeil, and gold bonded brass or white metal products; and other precious metals set with precious and semi-precious stones and certain gift ware items. The company also sells original oil paintings, lithographs, reproductions, and other art through its art galleries in Sarasota, Florida; Vail, Colorado; and New Orleans, Louisiana. Elegant Illusions, Inc. was incorporated in 1988 and is based in Pacific Grove, California.

Founded in 1973, the company is a subsidiary of Fred Meyer Stores, which is itself a subsidiary of grocery giant Kroger. Fred Meyer Jewelers wants to help you keep track of time while making room in your life for some bling. Founded in 1973, Fred Meyer Jewelers sells value-priced diamond and gemstone jewelry and well-known watch brands, such as Bulova, Citizen, Longines, Movado, and Omega. The company has some 375 jewelry stores in about three dozen states, including locations inside Fred Meyer Marketplace and Kroger Marketplace stores. (More than a third of the stores are located in California, Oregon, and Washington.) It operates under the names Barclay Jewelers, Fred Meyer Jewelers, and Littman Jewelers.

Goldsmiths doesn't necessarily turn raw materials into gleaming baubles, but it does deal with the goldsmith's end result: jewelry. The firm, which was founded in 1778 and is the UK's #2 jewelry chain (behind Signet Jewelers' H Samuel) operates about 160 stores. Keeping up with the times, Goldsmiths also sells jewelry online. The chain was the country's first authorized Rolex merchant, and remains a top dealer of Rolex, Omega, Tag Heuer, and other watch brands. Goldsmiths is 70% owned owned by Aurum Holdings, which also owns the Mappin & Webb chain of jewelry shops. Goldsmiths' previous owner, Iceland's Baugur Group, acquired Goldsmiths in 2004 and later bought Mappin & Webb to form Aurum Holdings.

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