Why diamonds fuel more than a croissant

I have read with delight, once again here in The New Barcelona Post, the big news that Tiffany's, the mythical jewelry store on Fifth Avenue in New York, the one with the iconic image of Audrey Hepburn having breakfast "with" the diamonds in its display window, is going to open a flagship, that is, not just any store, but an flagship store, on Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona. Without a doubt, Passeig de Gràcia is on fire. Not only because the editorial office of this holy house is located there ---between Bulgari and Dior, precisely---, but because, in times of pandemic, tribulation, and cascading business closures, the great golden mile of Barcelona keeps attracting luxury suitors.

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Those of us who were born and will die poor sometimes find it hard to understand these things and they need to be explained to us slowly. Let's see. What logic is there that, in the worst of the worst economic crisis since the civil war, a relatively low cost brand like Desigual closes its premises on Passeig de Gràcia, and the space is quickly and voraciously occupied, by none other than Armani? Well, it is clear that in a crisis of these characteristics, the luxury sector resists more and better than lower ranges of attractive but not essential products for many personal and family economies facing the most brutal triage. Premium consumption is more stable or less volatile, however you want to see it.

It is not just a matter of purchasing power. What is expensive can be infinitely tacky or can have infinite charm. I refer to Breakfast at Tiffany's. I, who lived in New York for six years, perfectly remember the magnetism that Tiffany's exerted on thousands, millions of tourists, who entered the jewelry store's elevator with as much enthusiasm as they did the Empire State Building's.

At Tiffany's, they were shrewdly aware of this. And they exploited it very well. Example: as soon as you entered, you came face to face not with diamonds but with silver. With a lot of small and relatively affordable silver jewels, the object of the amazed plunder of tourists who saw them halfway between a trophy and a souvenir.

In parallel, almost everything else at Tiffany's was considerably more expensive than it would have been at any "shady" (ahem…) jewelry store or diamond shop around the corner, mostly on 53rd Street, where precise, reliable, and sound Jewish establishments, utterly devoid of glamour, clustered together. I once visited one accompanied by Jordi Évole. I participated in a report he was filming in New York; we did fun things like chasing each other in a taxi down Fifth Avenue, asking people on the street if they knew where Marbella was ---in those days, Michelle Obama's vacation destination--- and yes, going into a Jewish jewelry store. I don't know how we convinced the owner to let me try on a diamond necklace that cost about two million dollars, or so he told us. I felt as tense as if I had a snake coiled around my neck. It almost had the same result when, taking a false step, the jeweler feared I would run out into the street… but anyway, I just told that story another day.

The point is that I was very aware of the prices of everything in that store because in my mind I was comparing them with those at Tiffany's. And why? Well, it turns out I was about to receive a visit in New York from my best friend and her fiancé. And I planned to surprise them by giving them their wedding rings…

I was clear, of course, that diamonds were out: they would be two pure gold wedding bands, yellow or white, that remained to be seen, simple and elegant. Being prepared, I went to Tiffany's, looked through the catalog from top to bottom, compared, did the math, and narrowed down a pre-selection of three different wedding band models compatible with my budget. The plan was to take the couple by surprise to the most famous jewelry store in the world, pull out the drawer with my three finalist pairs of rings, and make the big reveal: choose and get your measurements taken, go on.

The whole operation was almost jeopardized by Jordi Évole and our foray into the Hasidic jewelry stores. The price difference was enormous. Let's say that, for the same ring, at Tiffany's they charged double or triple…

I admit I thought about it, that I considered it. And that was when a crisis like the current one wasn't raging. But at the last moment, I understood that the tariff abyss was amply compensated by an incomparable bonus of magic, charm, and legend. That light of the best Hollywood blazing in the windows and on the counters. That wonderful blue color, Tiffany's blue (what a coincidence that it miraculously and millimeter-perfectly matches my favorite color…) of the exquisite little bag they give you, even if you only buy a silver keychain. Let alone if they are gold wedding bands…

I will never forget the faces of my friend and her fiancé when, without prior notice, I took them there and gave them the big surprise. With all my love. It was like watching two small children open presents on Three Kings' Day…

That is true luxury. That's why the only thing that can get us out of this pit, this seemingly endless tunnel, is what is priceless. Benvinguda al Passeig de Gràcia, Audrey.