Jewelry and watches in Palo Alto

For a city its size, Palo Alto has an unusual concentration of fine jewelers. Nearly all of them sit within a few minutes' walk of each other at Stanford Shopping Center, where heritage jewelers share the walkways with Swiss watch boutiques and fashion jewelry brands. Downtown adds two independents with very different approaches. A precious metals dealer in Midtown rounds out the picture for anyone selling gold or needing an appraisal.

This guide groups the stores by area and type and lists the services each one publishes, from engraving to watch servicing. Every store here has a verified listing in our directory with its address, phone and hours. We do not compare prices or quality. The goal is to help you find the right counter for the job.

Fine jewelers at Stanford Shopping Center

These six stores sell fine jewelry. Most also sell or service watches.

• Tiffany & Co.: the New York jeweler's rings, necklaces and gifts, with engraving, cleaning and repair, watch repair and ring consultations.
• Cartier: jewelry, watches, bridal pieces, leather goods and fragrance, with the brand's Care Service and watchmaking.
• David Yurman: the New York jeweler's cable bracelets, rings, necklaces, men's jewelry and engagement rings, with complimentary cleaning.
• Shreve & Co.: a jeweler founded in San Francisco in 1852, with fine jewelry, bridal, watches, repairs, appraisals and custom design.
• Gleim the Jeweler: a family jeweler founded in Palo Alto in 1931 and at the center since 1956, known for estate and signed jewelry and bespoke design.
• CH Premier Jewelers: luxury Swiss watches, designer fine jewelry, bridal pieces and its own CH Collection.

Gleim is the local story. It was founded in Palo Alto in 1931 and has been at the shopping center since 1956, when the center was new. It also runs a store on Main Street in Los Altos. Shreve is the oldest name here by founding date and carries a long list of watch brands: Rolex, TUDOR, IWC Schaffhausen, NOMOS Glashütte and Baume & Mercier. Tiffany and Panerai sit next to each other near the Center Pavilion. Cartier is near Apple on the Arboretum Road side.

Watch boutiques

Three single-brand watch boutiques sit in the same center.

• Rolex Boutique Palo Alto: an Official Rolex Jeweler presented by Shreve & Co., selling and servicing Rolex watches, with appointments available.
• Breitling: the Swiss brand's watches and straps, from the Navitimer to the Superocean, with bookable appointments.
• Panerai Boutique Palo Alto: the brand's watches, with strap and accessory changes, cleaning, screw tightening and pickup.

The Rolex boutique is on The Plaza between Neiman Marcus and Macy's. It is separate from Shreve's main store, though the two are linked. The boutique lists a two-year guarantee after a complete service. Breitling is on the Garden Walk across from Alo. Booking an appointment at any of the three makes sense if you want to try on a specific model, since stock varies.

Fashion and everyday jewelry

Not every gift needs a vault. These brand stores sell lighter, more casual pieces at the same center.

• Pandora: the Danish brand's charms, bracelets and lab-grown diamond jewelry, with engraving and in-store pickup.
• Gorjana: the California brand's everyday gold jewelry in solid gold and gold plate, with in-store stylists and complimentary gift wrap.
• Brighton Collectibles: the California brand's jewelry, charms, handbags, belts, watches and gifts on the Sand Hill Road side.

Gorjana states that it gift wraps in store at no charge, which makes it an easy stop for a last-minute present. Pandora's engraving service suits charms and bracelets meant for a specific person.

Downtown independents

Two jewelers face each other in the 200 block of University Avenue. They could hardly be more different.

• Arnoldi Jewelers: a family business founded by Antonio Luigi Arnoldi, a Rome-trained goldsmith who came from Italy in 1978, selling Italian fine jewelry with repair, stone setting, watch repair and cleaning.
• De Novo: a gallery of fine contemporary jewelry by about 45 studio artists, with trunk shows and a second entrance on Ramona Street.

Arnoldi is the downtown option for repairs without driving to the mall. De Novo works like an art gallery for wearable pieces: earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets and pins by independent makers. It wraps every purchase in a signature gift box. Note its policy before you buy a gift: exchanges within two weeks and no refunds. Our downtown boutiques guide covers the shops around them.

Elsewhere in town

• Pacific Precious Metals: a Midtown dealer next to Wells Fargo on Middlefield Road that buys and sells gold, silver, platinum and palladium and appraises jewelry.
• Marigold Row: a Town & Country Village boutique selling jewelry, scarves and women's clothing made with Indian textiles and handcraft techniques.
• Leaf & Petal: an independent women's boutique on California Avenue whose mix includes jewelry and accessories alongside clothing and gifts.

Pacific Precious Metals is the place to go if you are clearing out broken chains or old coins. It also offers assaying. For estate pieces and secondhand watches, see our vintage and consignment guide.

Services at a glance

These are the services each store lists on its own pages. Ask in the store for turnaround times and terms.

Buying for someone else

Many jewelry purchases are gifts. A few points make the process smoother. Find out ring sizes ahead of time, or choose a necklace, bracelet or earrings where size matters less. Ask each store about its exchange window before you pay, because policies range from generous to strict. Keep the receipt and any certificate together in the box. If you are buying a watch, note the wrist size and whether the recipient prefers a metal bracelet or a leather strap, since boutiques such as Panerai and Breitling can change straps.

Practical tips

• Book ahead. Tiffany, Breitling, Panerai, CH Premier, Brighton and the Rolex boutique take appointments. They are useful for engagement rings and specific watch models.
• Bring paperwork. For repairs and appraisals, bring receipts, certificates and any earlier appraisal.
• Allow time in December. Engraving, sizing and repairs can take longer in the weeks before the holidays, so drop items off in November. Our holiday shopping guide has the season's center hours.
• Check hours. Each boutique sets its own schedule within the center's hours, which are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday outside the holidays.

Planning a visit

If you are shopping for a significant piece, start with appointments at two or three of the center's jewelers on the same afternoon. Most are clustered near the Center Pavilion and the Garden Walk, so you can move between them on foot in minutes. Then cross El Camino Real to downtown to see De Novo's studio pieces and Arnoldi's Italian work. Our Stanford Shopping Center guide covers lunch and parking. For the rest of the designer lineup, read our guide to luxury brands.

Frequently asked questions