Pulse of global wealth beats on Bond Street

By David Brough

LONDON (Reuters) - Well before the store opens, a window-cleaning van arrives every morning to ensure gleaming windows set off the sparkle of diamonds. A pair of burly guards, in black suits and earpieces, take their places.

Britain's retail summer may be set for a washout, Wimbledon strawberries may be prohibitively pricey and fuel for the four-wheel drive might be stretching some budgets -- but on Bond Street, jeweller Graff is ready for the season.

As the mega-rich get richer and seek ever more unusual gemstones, Graff and stores like it in London's chic Mayfair district -- Leviev, Moussaieff, Harry Winston and Chatila -- stand out as the premier location for jewellery shopping.

"People with new money want new treasures," said Fiona Spence, marketing manager for Graff, established in the heart of Mayfair since 1994 as a powerhouse of exclusivity and with clients including Oprah Winfrey, retail billionaire Philip Green and real estate mogul Donald Trump.

Bond Street was named after Sir Thomas Bond, devoted follower and close friend of King Charles II -- a hedonistic monarch whose 17th-century reign saw the rise of colonisation and trade in India, the East Indies and America, including in 1664 the British capture of New York from the Dutch.

It still attracts royalty and its fame is legendary: for precious jewels, antiques and works of art, fashion and the accessories of gracious living, its shops are unsurpassed.

Today, Bond Street is a litmus test of the fortunes of the world's seriously wealthy, as jewellers say non-British buyers account for more than three-quarters of its turnover in fine jewellery.

In the wake of the credit crisis, some wealth in real estate and investment banking is slackening, jewellers say. However, demand is being fed by a fast-growing entrepreneurial elite from the emerging markets, including those who control increasingly valuable natural resources, such as Russia's richest men Oleg Deripaska and Roman Abramovich.