It’s Officially a Three-Peat: "Best Jewelry Store" Named by Bay Area Voters for the third time in a row!
A special thank you from the Padis Family!
The votes are counted, the ballots are in, and once again the people of the Bay Area have spoken: Padis Jewelry has been voted "Best Jewelry Store" in SFGATE's Best of the Bay Area 2026 - making it three years in a row at the very top of the category.
This one means even more, because of who decided it. Best of the Bay Area isn't a panel of critics or a paid placement. It's a reader's choice award, settled entirely by the neighbors, clients, and locals who know the Bay Area best...people who have worked with us who we call part of the Padis Family. In 2026 they turned out like never before: more than 29,000 Bay Area residents cast over 167,000 votes, making this the most competitive, and most community-powered, Best of the Bay Area to date. To earn the crown once is a true honor for the Padis Family. To be chosen by your own community three years running, in the program's biggest year yet, is humbling.
Who actually decides Best of the Bay Area?
You do. SFGATE's Best of the Bay Area is a community-voted program: Bay Area residents nominate their favorite local businesses, the field narrows to the top finalists in each category, and then the public votes for the winner. And participation has climbed every single year — from roughly 140,000 votes in the inaugural 2024 program, to about 156,000 in 2025, to a record-breaking 167,000-plus this year in 2026. That upward curve is the whole story: more locals, more engaged, choosing their hometown favorites in greater numbers than ever.
A three-peat in our 52nd year
For the Padis family, this third win lands during another milestone: 52 years in business. What began in 1974 — Steve Padis stringing beads and selling them on Telegraph Avenue while a student at UC Berkeley — has grown into five Bay Area showrooms stocked with thousands of responsibly sourced natural and lab-grown diamonds that the Padis family still hand-selects, stone by stone.
More than five decades later, it's still a family business, guided by the same principles it started with. Steve Padis sits on the executive board of Jewelers of America; his daughter Alexis, president of Padis Jewelry, also serves as president of the American Gem Society; and the Padis family was inducted into the National Jeweler Retailer Hall of Fame in 2019. But the recognition that means the most still comes from the people who walk through the door.
"Awards from our industry are wonderful — but Best of the Bay Area is different, because it comes straight from our community...our cherished clients who we refer to as family. To be voted the best by the people we serve, three years running and in the program's biggest year yet, tells us the experience we work to create every single day is being felt. Every guest who walks in should feel like family when they walk out. That's the whole job."
— Alexis Padis, President, Padis Jewelry
Why Bay Area voters keep coming back
Three consecutive wins says less about us than about what local shoppers value. A few of the reasons we hear most:
No pressure, no commission. Our diamond advisors aren't paid on commission, so there's no incentive to upsell. Most of our team has been with Padis for decades, and they'd rather help you make a confident, informed decision than simply move inventory.
See your diamond today. With two GIA Graduate Gemologists and bench jewelers on staff at all times, you can examine stones and settings on the spot — no shipping anything out, no weeks of waiting to find out what you're actually buying. Pick your diamond, choose a setting, and take it home the same day.
Inventory you can walk out with. Unlike online sellers and many brick-and-mortar stores, Padis owns their inventory — the largest selection of natural and lab-grown diamonds and settings in California - so the chances that the piece desired is available in our showrooms is very high. When you desire something custom, our turnaround times, especially with Tacori, are very competitive.
We're also proud to be an accredited member of the American Gem Society, a distinction held by only the top 5% of jewelers nationwide, and the only TACORI Blue Diamond Partner on the West Coast.
Thank you, from the whole Padis family
To everyone who nominated us, shared the link, debated, campaigned, and championed their local favorites… Thank you. Your vote doesn't just earn Padis a trophy. It fuels a mission we've carried for 52 years: integrity, value, and transparency, for the next half-century and beyond. Without your trust, none of it means anything.
If you haven't visited lately, drop by one of our Bay Area showrooms. Whether you're dreaming up an engagement ring, hunting for the perfect anniversary gift, or just want to talk gemstones, our door is open — now with a fresh piece of hardware on the mantel. Here's to another year of sparkle, stories, and unforgettable moments. See you soon.