SELL YOUR JEWELRY
58F magazine
The Miller house: 3 generations of antique jewelry enthusiasts
Celebrating in 2019 the 30 years of the Miller house, Sarah Miller takes us behind the scenes of her profession, in search of the rare pieces that we unveil on the site of 58 facettes.
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How did your business start? Sarah Miller: In 1985, my grandfather and my mother opened a small shop selling antique jewelry and second-hand watches in the Biron market. Building on this success, they settled in the very chic district of rue St Honoré in 1989, where we are still today. |
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And you took over from them? Sarah Miller: For 3 years, they appointed me president of the Miller company and I am very honored by their trust. But my mother always follows business from a distance because it is a profession of passion! It is a bit of a reflection of our customers who for 3 generations have followed us faithfully and are fervent collectors of antique jewelry. |
How do you explain this success?
Sarah Miller: We are a 100% family company and in our business, trust is an essential factor. We are very picky about the selection of our jewelry so that the pieces are truly authentic and not imitations that we can sometimes see elsewhere.|
Exactly, how do you make the selection? Sarah Miller: Already, we must like the piece, that it be beautifully crafted with maker's marks from reference workshops. These are especially pieces from the Art Deco period or the 40s such as Tank bracelets, which are not necessarily brands, but which testify to a real style of an era. Of course, we also offer many jewels from the great houses of Place Vendôme. |
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What are the most sought after brands? Sarah Miller: Currently with the Covid crisis, the market has changed considerably since we mainly have French customers. This clientele is looking for fairly recent classic pieces (1960-2000) with reference brands such as Love de Cartier model, Boucheron Quatre ring or Chanel Ultra ring. Foreign customers are more on the lookout for old pieces from the Art Nouveau, Art Deco or 40s periods. |
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Only French creations are highlighted on the site 58 Facettes. Can you tell us about the specificity of jewelry made in France? Sarah Miller: French jewelry is an international benchmark with houses like Mellerio who is over 400 years old or Chaumet (1780) who adorned many crowned heads. French jewelry has reinvented itself with unique patents such as the Serti Mystérieux or the House Zip. Van Cleef & Arpels. The styles of jewelry are mixed with great history and trends such as Art Deco which was born in France. |
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Can you give us an idea of the price? Sarah Miller: The classic pieces are very interesting since you have a discount of -40% to -50% on the original price. Our first prices are around 700-900 euros (currently Dinh Van pendant) up to 85.000 euros for a Cartier ring with a very beautiful shuttle-cut diamond of 3,15 carats (E / VVS2), supplied with a certificate from the French Gemmology Laboratory. In addition to jewelry for women, we also offer cufflinks highly sought after by men or Force 10 bracelets from Maison Fred for example. |
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What services do you offer? Sarah Miller: We appraise free of charge the jewels that we consider to be able to be put for sale on the site or in our store. We clean the parts and sometimes we have to re-set stones, rhodium them and polish them to be in perfect condition to be sold. We give them a second youth without altering their value. The Miller House allows both access to affordable pieces or highly sought after signatures from Bovine, Belperron or Despres when we manage to find these rare pieces! |
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Article written by Kyra Brenzinger - Editor-in-chief.
Photo 1: Miller family
Photo 2: Sarah Miller
Photo 3: Bracelet Tank (Used) - Miller
4 Photo: Chanel Ultra Ring (Used) - Miller
Photo 5: Mellerio "Pheasant" brooch (Used) - Miller
6 Photo: Cartier ring, shuttle diamond (Used) - Miller
7 Photo: Clip René Boivin "Bouquet de Violettes" (Used) - Miller