The best jewelry stores Brazil

The main competitor of Amsterdam Sauer with its 18 shops spread throughout the city. You can visit the workshops where you can see the goldsmiths at work. The visit, well organized, is commented by walkman, in French. The prices of the stones go from 30 reais to very high sums. There are rainbow necklaces, yellow topaz, red garnets, pink and green tourmalines, purple amethysts, aquamarines, and blue topaz. Each stone has its own identity card. At the end of the tour, a short visit to the shop, of course.

Brazil is a land of precious stones. The Gemme is an exceptional house whose notoriety has been built in its ability to find ancient stones of very high quality and to enhance them, without betraying them, thanks to techniques and contemporary design. The Gem has brought back to life stones worn by Coco Chanel, Empress Josephine Bonaparte, Princess Soraya or King Farouk. Brazil is also a privileged field of exploration with its rare diamonds from the 18th and 19th centuries and the Art Deco period.

An American-style success story for Jules Sauer, an Alsatian who arrived in Brazil in 1939 at the age of 18 to make his fortune. Initially a diamond prospector, his personal qualities led him to start trading in precious stones and to open his first boutique in 1953 at the Copacabana Palace. Today, he is one of the country's leading jewellers. In his Ipanema shop, you can visit a museum that traces the Brazilian history of gemstones. Many of the brand's boutiques are located in luxury hotels.

Ouro Preto is full of small shops selling precious and semi-precious stones, at prices that remain rather attractive and for quality products in the shops that have a street address. Casa do Topázio is one of the best places (among many others) to shop. The sellers issue certificates of authenticity for the pieces you buy. Ask for them, but in the serious houses which hold their reputation, like the Casa do Topazio, this precious sesame for the return in France.