MEGHAN MARKLE’S ENGAGEMENT TO PRINCE HARRY SPARKS SURGE IN SUITORS CREATING & DESIGNING  MARKLE-INSPIRED DIAMOND RINGS

LONDON-BASED DIAMOND BRAND, VASHI, WHICH ENABLES CUSTOMERS TO DESIGN AND MAKE THEIR OWN DIAMOND JEWELLERY, NOW “INUNDATED WITH DESIGN COMMISSIONS FOR MARKLE SPARKLE”

PEAK MARRIAGE PROPOSAL SEASON, WHICH SPIKES ON CHRISTMAS EVE, GETS A ROYAL BOOST AT VASHI

*Three-stone white diamond design created by a customer this week at VASHI – inspired by Meghan Markle’s engagement ring

Founder and CEO, Vashi Dominguez, talks about the reactive demand for Markle-inspired diamond rings this Christmas and why creating it at VASHI means that you too can design and make your own ring for your loved one.

‘Prince Harry has long been seen as the ‘people’s prince’, his very human and humble qualities resonating with the public. His choice not to sit behind a big brand name in his choice of ring – but rather to design his own –  echoes his character and true emotion.’  Vashi Dominguez, founder and CEO VASHI

Leading London-based diamond jeweller, VASHI, who opened their third store in Westfield London Luxury village last Friday, has been inundated with requests from eager suitors to design and create the most talked-about diamond ring of the decade. The Mayfair flagship, Grafton street and new Westfield store have had a stream of walk in appointments seeking out the brand to hand make custom jewellery. Traditionally it’s the busiest time within the retail calendar, with marriage proposals spiking on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Demand for the three-stone white diamond ring with a vintage setting has soared with as many as one in four customers designing and making a Markle-inspired design.

Unlike conventional jewellery brands, who offer formulaic designs, VASHI’s signature interactive experience allows customers to make or design their own diamond jewellery and take part in making it. VASHI’s Mayfair flagship store has an in-store diamond laboratory and customers are invited to get hands on analysing diamonds under the microscope and making their perfect ring with the in-store craftsmen.

From couples shopping together, to would-be suitors shopping on behalf of their beloved, customers have been looking to take the design inspiration from Meghan Markle’s ring and add their own design elements to create something truly unique. And, with pricing as clear as their exceptional and hand selected diamonds, VASHI offers the same comparable quality as Bond Street but at price levels substantially below Bond Street and even High street pricing. Meaning a Meghan Markle inspired diamond ring is accessible for all.

VASHI have launched the Lovestrike collection to give everyone the opportunity to customize their jewellery. The collection of rings, earrings and pendants in both pave diamonds and smooth are all to be customized and made by you. You don’t buy a Lovestrike piece off the shelf, you create it yourself. Customers choose from a tray of sparkling melee diamonds which ones twinkle the brightest and picks the final three diamonds to complete their piece. Alongside the instore Alchemist, you can even set the stones yourself if you wish. The VASHI customer is inspired and encourage to push their boundaries and show off their personality through their customization.

“At VASHI, we are all about helping you put your own heart into making the dream ring for the one you love. Whilst many customers have been directly inspired by the beauty of Meghan’s engagement ring, we’ve also seen some beautiful bespoke variations.

I am delighted by the happy news of this young couple. It resonates with me that Harry chose to design and make his own ring. It’s a truly personal ring – a hand written love note – from him to Meghan incorporating diamonds from his mother’s jewellery.

The ring is a beautiful – and highly personal take on a classic setting. The side stones nod to the vintage settings which are becoming more and more popular. Though we’ve only seen brief images of the central diamond, it looks like a magnificent stone.

In my twenty years within the diamond industry I’ve seen this progression away from buying off the shop floor to customers designing and making rings themselves. People want to put a little bit of themselves in to the ring the give. ‘I love you, I made this for you’ will always win over ‘I love you, I bought this for you’ because you have invested heart and soul into creating your own unique and very intimate symbol of your love.

I created the Mayfair flagship VASHI store on this principle where by customers design and make jewellery alongside VASHI craftsman on the shop floor within our state of the art workshop.”

Vashi Dominguez, founder and CEO VASH www.vashi.com

VASHI expands to second retail outlet in London’s busiest shopping centre; Westfield London, bringing its signature interactive experience to the heart of the Luxury Village to stand alongside the world’s leading brands.

The expansive VASHI store reflects the brands ethos of transparency and welcomes customers at every corner. Set across 1,700 square feet, timber and stainless-steal edged kimberlite surfaces (the rock that is the birthplace of diamonds) reflect the brilliance of the diamonds on show.

VASHI jewellery centers around the customer. It is they who create it, be that from the design through to assembly or though the initial choosing the diamond(s). The process is collaborative between customer and VASHI craftsman and the result is always a truly unique ring ‘made by you’. As founder and CEO Vashi Dominguez notes: “ ‘I love you, I made this for you’ will always win over ‘I love you, I bought this for you’ because you have invested heart and soul into creating your own unique and very intimate symbol of your love”. Be that the love of an engagement or a parent to child or best friends, the choice from earrings and pendants through to engagement and wedding rings encapsulates every kind of loving emotion.

Two private consultation rooms circle the central diamond bar where diamonds are openly on display to twinkle and play with the light. The heart of the store is the lab [workshop?] where the resident jewellery alchemists work throughout the day crafting the jewellery. As in all VASHI stores, customers are welcome to roll up their sleeves to create their personal item of jewellery or can watch the master jewellers at work. Traditional tools sit alongside cutting-edge state-of-the-art lasers and engraving tools all in the hands of VASHI master jewelers.

VASHI employs resident craftsmen with a combined 50 years of experience at the highest level of jewellery making. Over the launch of the Westfield store, VASHI jewelers will host a program of masterclasses to explain, uncover and curate the history and finesse of diamonds and diamond jewellery. Masterclasses are exclusive to VASHI Westfield London with a limit of just 6 people per session running 5 days per week from 8th until 22nd December.

Connor PR working with VASHI, Connor PR and luxury PR, Connor PR consumer PR