Raffles Hotel jeweller Elliott & Carmen closes after 27 years in Singapore

Elliott & Carmen was founded in 1999 by Leon Chu and spent about 27 years at the Raffles Hotel Arcade, with a two-year stint at Raffles City while the hotel underwent restoration works. The boutique specialised in diamonds and rare gems — natural diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, jade and rare South-Sea pearls — and built its business on repeat clients, engagements and wedding commissions.

On 25 July 2026 the store held its final day of trading. In its last few weeks it ran a 50 per cent-off storewide sale 'while stocks last', which the founder's son Elliott Chu described as met with an 'overwhelming' response, adding that many pieces were one-of-a-kind and would not be replaced once sold.

The family attributed the closure to rising retail rents and operating costs in prime locations, intense competition from large international houses and online retailers, and volatile gold and gemstone prices. The boutique's economics — a single prime-address storefront selling high-value stones — had no room to absorb any of the three pressures at once.

Leon Chu said the store's time at Raffles Hotel was 'the honour of our lifetime' and that the family was 'exploring the next chapter'. After-sales service continues via WhatsApp and Instagram.