Dune-gold walls, basket-weave floors: De Beers remakes its New York flagship

Jewellery brand De Beers London has renovated and reopened its boutique on New York's Madison Avenue. The store, first opened in 2016, measures around 2,156 square feet. According to InStore, the concept comes from the Paris store on Rue de la Paix; WWD says it was then rolled out in Hong Kong. The facade carries a sculptural wave evoking the Namibian coastline, where ocean currents reveal diamonds. Gold-toned walls recall the dunes, while the oak flooring draws on traditional Botswanan basket weaving.

At the entrance stands a kimberlite installation by Dutch artist Ward Strootman – kimberlite being the volcanic rock in which diamonds are found. A Venini chandelier features glass prisms shaped like rough diamonds, and South African artist Sarah Heinemann created a 1.78-metre sculpture in bronze and hardstone. A consultation room called "The Library" is modelled on a Mayfair townhouse, with a Chesterfield sofa and Liberty of London fabrics. The upper floor is used for exhibitions and events.

"Retail is one of the key drivers of our transformation," chief executive Emmanuelle Nodale told WWD. Since the renovation, the store has recorded significant double-digit growth, and the brand expects to end 2026 with 24 stores worldwide. Next year the concept is due to debut at several locations in China, with South Korea and Japan seen as further markets. In parallel, the brand's "Vibrations" high jewellery collection introduces cabochon-cut diamonds for the first time, after five years of development.