Fred Leighton jewelry is mostly associated with A- list celebrities and red carpets, but what a lot of people don’t know is the history of the designer’s deep love and admiration of antique and estate jewels from around the world.
Fred Leighton is a true New Yorker. He opened his first store in Greenwich Village some 40 years ago carrying ethnic pieces – all handmade and all one-of-a-kind. His love of jewelry led him to the start collection and, in turn, sell the gracious and elegant Victorian jewelry of the 19th century. This has been the basis for of his business ever since.
His appetite is for rare antique and estate pieces – all rich and aristocratic, glamorous and bold. Over the years he has been credited with building the largest collection of estate and antique jewelry in the world. They include Art Deco pieces, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Mauboussin, Boucheron, Maharajah’s jewels from India are among many other rare and beautiful baubles.
He is also known for his delicate diamond and platinum engagement rings. The trend at the moment is to buy several of his super-skinny diamond wedding bands and stack them. Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman and Catherine Zeta-Jones were all married in Fred Leighton creations. Antique cushion-cut diamonds start at $12,000 and go into the millions while antique and estate brooches start at $20,000.
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