DBprivate @ aol.com 212-575-0266
David Birnbaum
Rare 1 The Ultimate Private Jeweler 速
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David Birnbaum
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The DB/R1 brand is recognized by jewelry connoisseurs worldwide as representing one of the world’s great jewel ‘signatures ’ and hallmarks.
David Birnbaum / Rare 1 is the flagship of the Birnbaum Group, established gem dealers and gem cutters for over a century.
Transplanted from Paris/Amsterdam to New York in 1938, the Birnbaum Group has no equal in global sourcing, gem cutting expertise, value, and sophisticated design.
T he R are
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PRIVATE JEWELER EXTRAORDINAIRE
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YEAR LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE
David Birnbaum / Rare 1 is the flagship of the Birnbaum Group established gem dealers and cutters for over a century
THERAREANDTHEEXTRAORDINARY™ established: Paris / Amsterdam 1900
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the world's ultimate gems for the world's ultimate clientele
David Birnbaum
Rare 1
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VIDEO CLIP FROM ABC NETWORK'S PRIME TIME "LIFE OF LUXURY" HTTP:// DAVIDBVIDEO.COM
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David Birnbaum Private Jeweler Extraordinaire www.Ultra1000.com DBprivate@aol.com
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®
David Birnbaum is an internationally recognized Private Jeweler and gem expert. Committed to value and excellence, he is the premier choice among jewelry and gem connoisseurs. The Private Jeweler firm of David Birnbaum / Rare 1 is known among cognoscenti worldwide for its commitment to exquisite quality. The firm is a unique and extraordinary boutique. Over the years this ultimate boutique has developed a dynamic and fervently loyal client group. The firm’s discerning clientele ranges from young bankers to Heads-of-State. In 1979 David Birnbaum became one of the youngest principals admitted to the De Beers “List.” He is, as well, a respected industry columnist. Our firm has original and powerful global sourcing. The firm has won numerous international design awards and gemological citations. We have a truly extraordinary selection of fabulous jewels and rare gems. From 3-carat “solitaire” Engagement Rings to world class ensembles. Every David Birnbaum / Rare 1 piece is crafted to ultra-demanding specifications, keeping in-mind the consistency and integrity of quality and design. In the realm of rare gem jewels, we are considered one of the world’s most exclusive brands.
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The world’s #1
Private Jeweler
David Birnbaum
Rare 1 NEW YORK
GENEVA * HONG KONG * MACAU SINGAPORE * DUBAI
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David Birnbaum
Rare 1 PRIVATE JEWELER
MB-1226-CSW emerald-cut solitaire diamond ring 5 - 25+ carats premium color & clarity [GIA Lab]
David Birnbaum
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AT THE PINNACLE OF QUALITY AND VALUE
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THE WORLD'S RAREST GEMS & JEWELS
MB-930 World Class Ensemble 100+ carats all D color
(shapes are close generic representations)
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David Birnbaum
Rare 1
as seen in...
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David Birnbaum
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MB-928 D Flawless PearShaped diamond pendant 20+ carats
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THE UNIQUE, THE RARE & THE EXTRAORDINARY
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“Demonstrably superior
quality and value”
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DAVID BIRNBAUM / Rare 1 : THE WORLD'S RAREST BRAND
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MB-1318 RARE FANCY PINK Ring: 8+ carats Fancy Pink center set in micro-pavĂŠ setting Earrings: two x average 3+ carats each Drop Fancy Pink plus extra White Diamond work shown Premium Clarity [GIA Lab] 32
#1 IN ULTRA-HIGH-END
INV-1381 rare fancy blue diamond twin ring 1+ carat, premium clarity set with 1+ carat D color diamond
MB-1014 INTENSE BLUE Cushion-cut Diamond center: 4+ carats Fancy Intense Blue set with round fancy intense pink diamonds Premium Clarity [GIA Lab]
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3 - 25+ carat Vivid red Premium Quality rubies
DAVID BIRNBAUM / Rare 1 : THE WORLD'S RAREST BRAND
Shown: gem ruby rings / center gem weight noted VIVID Red Premium Quality [top lab-certified]
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THE Connoisseur's choice
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PRIVATE JEWELER TO AMERICA'S ELITE
David Birnbaum Rare 1
PRIVATE JEWELER EXTRAORDINAIRE
INV-1383 RARE ROCKS Extra-very-fine Colombian emeralds Colombian / ‘minor’ PearShape drop 12+ carats pendant-necklace earrings top emeralds: two x 2+ carats each bottom drop emeralds: two x 8+ carats each total Earrings carat weight 20+ carats [all lab-certified] 5 - 50+ carat Important Emeralds
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THE ULTIMATE ORIGINAL-SOURCE
4 - 20+ CARAT PREMIUM QUALITY ASSCHER-CUTS
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3 - 20+ CARAT Gem canary diamonds
Vivid & Intense Canary Diamonds
IMAGE-1432 Gem Canary Diamond Ensemble with premium-quality gem white diamond trim Fancy Intense yellow Premium Clarity Ring: 10+ carats Asscher-cut Earrings: two x 8+ carats each Radiant-cuts [GIA Lab certified] 41
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INTERNATIONAL GEM CUTTERS & DEALERS
THE WORLD'S RAREST BRAND
DAVID BIRNBAUM / Rare 1 : IMAGE-1378 9+ CARATERS RARE WHITE premium clarity [GIA Lab-certified]
3 - 100+ carat GEM DIAMONDs
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PRIVATE JEWELER EXTRAORDINAIRE
IMAGE-1418 WORLD CLASS SET EXTRAORDINARY GEM PEARL NECKLACE double-strand Opera-Length (average 33” long each) 13 x 11mm pearls premium luster, color & shape shown here actual size
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*QUALITY*BEAUTY*RARITY*SELECTION*VALUE*DESIGN*PRECISION*EXPERTISE*BRAND*ORIGINAL SOURCE *LAB CERTIFICATION*EXCLUSIVITY*GLOBAL SOURCING*MASTER JEWELERS* FABULOUS & EXTRAORDINARY JEWELS*
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MAY 2010 David Birnbaum is a leading and formidable private jeweler who sells to the global financial elite, along with, in his words, “a sprinkling of heads of state.” He heads David Birnbaum / Rare 1, the new paradigm flagship firm of the 100-year old Birnbaum Gem Group. The firm has a distinguished legacy. His late father, Andor J. Birnbaum served for 10 two-year terms from 1960 to 1980 as an arbitrator at the Diamond Dealers Club of New York. As a youngster, David consequently also had a ringside seat into the internal maneuvering within the industry – “It was an interesting window into a sometimes-intense industry,” his son recalls. In March 1980, David Birnbaum made the decision to slightly de-emphasize cutting diamonds and other gems, and carefully start building up a unique and extraordinary private jewelry business, which ultimately became David Birnbaum / Rare 1. During this period, he wrote the New York column for Diamant magazine. Birnbaum made the decision to specialize in top-of-the-line goods—diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and pearls, selling to VIP clientele. The company typically handles 5 to 25 carat diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires, but can go into the 30-50+ carat range as needed….Whether D-E color White Diamonds or Fancy Vivid Canary diamonds, Blue or Pink fancy colors, Vivid Red Rubies, top Colombian Emeralds or Rare Blue Sapphires, the firm serves-up and extraordinary array of fabulous jewels. A luscious and unique selection for the connoisseur set. The firm also does gem cutting and polishing as needed, although not at the same scale as pre-1980… …David Birnbaum / Rare 1 now has a powerful brand among the super-wealthy, particularly in North and South America, a well as a respectable presence at the VIP level elsewhere in 50
“THE REAL DEAL”
the world, including at Persian Gulf palaces. With a blue-chip reputation for integrity, quality, value and selection, the firm is a formidable competitor. The unique private brand may actually not be known at all in ‘middle America’ and its counterparts worldwide. It would be difficult for the average jewelry consumer ever to even hear of David Birnbaum / Rare 1, in fact, given that the company does not maintain any retail outlets, nor does it market at all to that segment. The firm is somewhat of a stealth purveyor of the rare and the extraordinary to the world’s elite. The David Birnbaum / Rare 1 operation is elegant/high tech as juxtaposed with Louis XIV salon-type décor of its competitors. “We most certainly like the Fifth Avenue Retailers,” notes Upstairs Private Jeweler Birnbaum, “We umbrellas.” The firm maintains a super-professional, American-style approach to staffing and other aspects of the trade. Distinctively, the firm is known to field high-level Asian-American staffers in its upper ranks. The firm finds itself at the very pinnacle of the North and South American private jeweler uni-
verse, in particular. “It’s not that our modality is superior to other modalities,” Birnbaum hastens to add. “We just do our thing, in a deliberate, careful and hopefully elegant manner, steadily carving out our niche globally.”... David Birnbaum / Rare 1 has invested many millions not just into goods and operations, but into the more subtle terrain of building a unique brand. Virtually alone and unique as an Upstairs American Private Jeweler projecting globally, the firm’s unique paradigm has paid off: “Our firm has a strong, unique and exclusive private brand among the world’s financial elite,” Birnbaum says. We are the go-to dealer for any serious buyer wanting the extraordinary at fair value. Celebrity clients have included Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, James Gandolfini and John Lithgow, but the company serves everyone from young bankers to heads of state. Testimonial quotes in the company’s marketing materials include Roger H. Morley, the former president of American Express; Jack Laschever, publisher of Forbes FYI; Susan Wolk, publisher of Seabourn Magazine; the Platinum Card; and the publications Carlyle Magazine, Avenue Magazine, Departures magazine, and COUTURE jewelry magazine…. 51
Gems
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by David Birnbaum HBS 始74, President, David Birnbaum / Rare 1
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Museum of American Finance 48 Wall Street just east of William Street
WEDNESDAY EVENING co-sponsored by
Harvard Business School Club of NY The Smithsonian Museum
HarvardYardPress@gmail.com 53
by David Birnbaum HBS 始74, President, David Birnbaum / Rare 1
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Luxury / Ultimate Brands Published: August 16, 2004 Author: Julia Hanna
Cashing in on the $100 billion global luxury goods market has never been tougher—or more rewarding. Competition is keen. And consumer preferences are constantly shifting, causing the concept of luxury itself to change over time. As a result, the market’s most recognizable brands have adapted by refreshing their product lines and extending their brand to more affordable items…. Factor in the demands of consistent quality, innovative design, supply logistics, and the need for superior customer service, and it’s easy to understand why David A. Birnbaum (HBS MBA ‘74), a very top-private jeweler, would sound this cautionary note: “Luxury sounds very intriguing, but you have to be careful. It’s not something to enter lightly. You need a real, serious, sustained commitment to shoot for the pinnacle—and to defend and advance your position if you attain it.” Yet luxury’s challenge remains an ongoing enticement for Birnbaum and the other alumni interviewed for this article. “Luxury goods are in essence a highly creative field,” notes Thuy T. Tranthi (HBS MBA ‘93), president of Thomas Pink USA, the London-based shirtmaker. “Many of the established brands started out as small, entrepreneurial ventures. It’s a field in constant change, which often creates significant opportunity.”… VIP visitors to David Birnbaum’s elegant hi-tech offices in Manhattan won’t mistake them for the classic “Old school-style Louis XIV–style salons of Tiffany’s or Harry Winston’s; however, the elegant hi-tech Upstairs Private Jeweler neo-wholesale approach works for quite a few of America’s financial and business super-elite. Repeat business and referrals make up the majority of customers for his firm’s rare gemstones and jewels, with most sales averaging between $50,000 and $2,500,000. Birnbaum relates a vignette of one VIP prospective client in the market for a seven carat diamond who found the prices so reasonable that he returned to consider—and, eventually, purchase—something in the twelve carat range. Birnbaum notes that this particular client first made contact with the firm five years earlier. “In a relationship-intensive business, quality staffing, service, communication, and institutional memory are necessary, but not sufficient, he says. Ultimately, quality and beauty are paramount….” Birnbaum should know; his exclusive firm is considered to be at the very pinnacle of the fine jewel industry. 59
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The World’s Most Extraordinary Jewels
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The Cutting Edge™
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MB-1300 CANARY SUNSHINE Canary Diamonds necklace: 60+ carats* bracelet: 38+ carats earrings: two x 3+ carats [GIA-certified] *center diamond weight : 2+ carats
rare jewels for a rarefied clientele
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INV-1379 TAILORED BEAUTY World Class Ensemble Gem Emeralds & Rare White Diamonds All Emeralds certified Gubelin Lab: Colombian / 'Minor' All diamonds lab-certified
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Necklace: Emeralds: 104.77 carats Diamonds: 72.73 carats Largest Emerald: 9.92 carats
Earrings: Emeralds: 40.57 carats Diamonds: 13.23 carats Largest Emerald size: 9.42 carats Ensemble: Necklace + Earrings: Total Emeralds: 145+ carats Total Diamonds: 85+ carats ENSEMBLE TOTAL TOTAL GEM WEIGHT: 231+ carats
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one-of-a-kind rare jewels from a one-of-a-kind private jeweler
David Birnbaum
Rare 1
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IMAGE-1445 Gem Ruby Vivid Red [Lab-certified] individual center weights noted contiguous
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PRIVATE JEWELER TO AMERICA'S ELITE
MB-1241-A Colombian emerald earrings emeralds: two x avg. 44+ carats each set in micro-pavĂŠ setting
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IMAGE-1476 RAREST PARAIBA rare Brazilian Paraiba centers: two x 7+ carats average = 14+ carats paraiba [AGTA Lab-certified] 2.5 carats total Invisible Setting Rare White diamond weight [Lab-certified]
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A 100 YEAR HERITAGE OF EXCELLENCE
IMAGE-1473 RARE WHITE Cushion tops: 2+ carats each Pear drops: 10+ carats each total diamond weight: 25+ carats premium color & clarity [GIA Lab]
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The Cutting Edge
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the world's ultimate gems for the world's ultimate clientele
IMAGES-1087 ASSCHER ADVENTURE Asscher-cut diamond drop earrings total diamond weight: 26+ carats tops: two x avg. 3+ carats bottoms: two x avg. 10+ carats Asscher-cut diamond stud earrings two x avg. 5+ carats
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THE ULTIMATE ORIGINAL-SOURCE
IMAGE-1173 ASSCHER-CUTS Canary diamond & Colombian Emerald premium clarity Earrings: tops: two x 2+ carats drops: two x 6+ carats Ring: center: 17+ carat VIVID YELLOW premium clarity flanking: rare-white shield-cut diamonds [Lab-certified]
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THE CUTTING EDGE
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IMAGE-1442 Sapphires and Emeralds center weights noted [Lab-certified]
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IMAGE-1444 15+ CARATERS Heart Shape Sapphire * Cushion Emerald * Heart Shaped White Diamond * Asscher-cut Canary Diamond * Asscher-cut White Diamond
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WORLD'S TOP SELECTION * Important gems *
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the world's ultimate gems for the world's ultimate clientele
IMAGE-1175 RIBBON 3 - 30+ carats each premium clarity natural fancy blues, pinks, and canary [GIA Lab-certified]
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IMAGE-1450 Fancy Intense Pink Radiant-cut Diamond Premium Clarity 15+ carats [GIA Lab] 82
rare jewels for a rarefied clientele
IMAGE-1458 Fancy Intense Blue Emerald-cut Diamond Premium Clarity 15+ carats [GIA Lab] #1 IN ULTRA-HIGH-END
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ACTUAL SIZE
David Birnbaum Rare 1
IMAGE-1475 Ultra Rare 100+ carats Burma Sapphire Unheated [ Lab-certified ] 84
ACTUAL SIZE
David Birnbaum Rare 1
IMAGE-1472 PERFECTION D FLAWLESS 100+ carat PearShape Ideal Cut Diamond [ GIA Lab-certified ] THE UNIQUE, THE RARE & THE EXTRAORDINARY
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IMAGE-1471 ‘Private Stock’ Green & White Important Colombian Emerald Ensemble Necklace: Center: 50+ carats Diamonds 66+ carats Earrings: 2 Emeralds = 60 carats Diamonds = 16+ carats Ring: Center: 34 carats Diamonds: 4+ cts Total Ensemble Gem weight: 230 carats [Top Lab certification]
EXCELLENCE, EXPERTISE & THE EXTRAORDINARY
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IMAGE-1470 Rare1 ULTIMA Ensemble Earrings: Rare White Premium Cut & Clarity Diamond Cluster Earrings 14 THREE CARAT diamonds = 44+ carats [GIA Lab-certified] Drops: Gem Colombian TWO x 20+ carat each = 40+ carats Total Weight [ Top Lab certification ] Total Ensemble Gem Weight = 85 carats 88
THE ULTIMATE ORIGINAL-SOURCE
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NOVEMBER 15, 2010
Condoleeza Rice
David Birnbaum
Dallas, Texas
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OCTOBER 1, 2009
Dead Horse Ranch, Wyoming
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The world’s #1 Private Jeweler
David Birnbaum
Rare 1
NEW YORK
GENEVA * HONG KONG * MACAU SINGAPORE * DUBAI
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*QUALITY*BEAUTY*RARITY*SELECTION*VALUE*DESIGN*PRECISION*EXPERTISE*BRAND*ORIGINAL SOURCE *LAB CERTIFICATION*EXCLUSIVITY*GLOBAL SOURCING*MASTER JEWELERS* FABULOUS & EXTRAORDINARY JEWELS*
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MarciaCross 31st Annual
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The Ultimate Private Jeweler
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David Birnbaum
Rare 1 THE WORLD'S Rarest ICONIC BRAND
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NEW YORK GENEVA * HONG KONG SINGAPORE * MACAU * DUBAI
David Birnbaum
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EXTRAORDINARY & FABULOUS
589 Fifth Avenue
Seventh Floor
at E. 48th Street New York, NY 10017 www.Ultra1000.com • fax: (212) 398-9438
DBprivate@aol.com Phone: (212) 575-0266 100
AT THE PINNACLE OF EXTRAORDINARY
David Birnbaum
Rare 1
“Demonstrably superior quality and value” - Roger H. Morley, former President, AMERICAN EXPRESS
“Unsurpassed quality, exceptional value, ultimate service, and exclusivity” - PLATINUM CARD
“One of the world’s most respected Private Jewelers” - THE CARLYLE Magazine
“A unique jewelry atelier with a World Class collection” - AVENUE Magazine
“Internationally recognized for quality, selection and styling” - DEPARTURES Magazine
“Legendary quality, styling and value” - COUTURE Jewelry Magazine
The Rare And the Extraordinary ™
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