Prins & Prins
The MaisonFour decades of diamond and gemstone expertise, from sourcing to advice to aftercare.
- Bespoke Jewellery Design
- Diamond & Gemstone Sourcing
- Valuations & Trade-in
- After-Sales Care
Huguenot House ca. 1752, the Cape Town home of Prins and Prins.
Cape Town ◆ Huguenot House ◆ ca. 1752Welcome to
Huguenot House.
GIAGraduate Gemmologists
GIA & EGL Certified Diamonds
In-house Goldsmiths
Jewellery Museum
5.0 Google Reviews
4.9 Tripadvisor
12×PlatAfrica Awards
Huguenot House, ca. 1752
An Early Cape Georgian Townhouse
Corner of Loop & Hout Streets
Restored 1992
Eighteenth-Century Murals
The Wine Cellar, Now a Museum
The Aurum Art Atelier
Museum of Gems & Jewellery
Home of Prins & Prins Since 1982
By Appointment · Cape Town
A Living Landmark
Huguenot House is one of the last Early Cape (Georgian) townhouses left in the Old City. It was built on Erf No. 6, proclaimed by Governor Ryk Tulbagh in 1752, on the corner of what became known as Hout and Loop Streets. Behind its shutters are beautifully restored murals discovered during renovations in 1992, a wine cellar turned museum, and a team of goldsmiths and gemmologists who call it home. The murals were painted in the late eighteenth century and reflect the wall paintings of the villas in ancient Pompeii, unearthed a few years earlier. Restored in 1992, and considered a Grade II Western Cape Heritage resource.
Cape Town walks past every day. Few know what waits on the inside.
Book a Private Viewing →
The People of the House
Behind every diamond,
Behind every diamond,
a lifetime of mastery.
GIA gemmologists, master goldsmiths and designers, led for four decades by Dr Petré Prins. Every stone passes through their hands, and every client is welcomed in person.
What We Do
Three divisions, under one roof.
Prins & Prins Gem Merchants. Aurum Art Atelier. Gem Laboratory. Choose the one you need.
Aurum Art Atelier
- Bespoke Jewellery Design
- Jewellery Remodelling
- Repairs & Restoration
- Ring Sizing & Alterations
Gem Laboratory
The LabA fully fitted gemmological laboratory, run by GIA Gemology graduates.
- Diamond & Gemstone Identification
- Valuations & Appraisals
- Repair & Recutting Advice
1975
De Beers Laboratory
1982
Prins & Prins Opens
57
Years Collecting
12
PlatAfrica Awards
The Founder
Dr Petré Prins
Ph.D. Geochemistry ◆ M.B.A. ◆ 45 Years Trade and Training
As he rolled it between thumb and forefinger, it became alive, like a glowworm in the dark.
In 1975, Dr Petré Prins stood in the De Beers Laboratory at Stellenbosch University and, for the first time, held a rough diamond to the light. That moment determined the next fifty years. After fifteen years of gem research and lecturing, he founded Prins & Prins in Cape Town.
His doctorate in Geochemistry and his GIA graduate training mean that when Dr Prins grades a stone, he works from one of the deepest wells of knowledge in the South African trade.
Watch Dr Prins
12
PlatAfrica Awards
44
Years Established
57
Years Collecting
Dr Petré Prins
Ph.D. Geochemistry · M.B.A.
Founder, 1982
Founder, 1982
Plan Your Visit
Step through the door.
Visit Huguenot House by appointment, on the corner of Loop and Hout Streets, or take the walkthrough from anywhere. Explore the map, then step into the Street View.
◆ The Location
◆ Walk Through the House
Huguenot House ◆ 66 Loop Street ◆ Cape Town 8001