The Historic and world renowned Jewelry District of Los Angeles starts at Fifth Street to the north, Eighth Street to the south, Olive Street to the west and Broadway to the east.  Aptly named, the Jewelry District is a section of Downtown Los Angeles dedicated to the sale of jeweled products, including platinum, gold, silver, diamonds, pearls, other precious gems and watches. 

In the early 1960s, Downtown's Jewelry District consisted mainly of one facility at 607 S. Hill St. In the early 1970s, a consumer demand for gold, coupled with a surge of immigrants from the Middle East and Far East into the community, spurred the local jewelry industry.

The big boom came with the grand re-opening of the St. Vincent Jewelry Center in 1983, and the debut of the International Jewelry Center a few years later.  Built in the 1930, St. Vincent Jewelry Center was named after the first college in Southern California, which was founded by the Father of St. Vincent de Paul Mission, in 1865.  St. Vincent was part the department store complex during the early 1900s.  In 1957 it was renamed St. Vincent Court and the refurbishing began.  It was 1983, when St. Vincent was declare “a brand new gem in a grand old setting” and was opened as the main complex for the Jewelry District, proving again, the durability of Downtown.  St Vincent is a designated Historical Landmark, and a pillar of the Jewelry District.

The Jewelry District has long had a reputation for being insular and inscrutable, a forest of cavernous buildings that can overwhelm first-time shoppers, especially without recommendations for reputable dealers. But these days, the district has made strides in becoming more user friendly, with a stepped up marketing campaign, new signage, advertising and more merchants offering parking validation.

The Jewelry District takes its time waking up, so plan to get there around 11 a.m. for the real hustle and bustle. Shops close at 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and are open Sundays following Thanksgiving and through Christmas Eve. The largest wholesale and retail complex is the St. Vincent Jewelry Center, a Los Angeles historical landmark that's home to about 500 tenants. As part of the effort to improve the district, an alleyway next to St. Vincent's has been transformed into a quaint Parisian-style streetscape with cafes and delis serving everything from sandwiches to kebobs and baklava. Other large marts include the Pacific Center, the California Jewelry Mart and the Fox Jewelry Plaza.