A jaw-dropping ‘diamond concept store’ has popped up on London’s Piccadilly.
Set across 1,500 square feet and two floors, Vashi’s new flagship store allows customers to design their own bespoke jewellery amid a rapid rise in women – an estimated 75 per cent – wanting to be involved in their choice of engagement ring.
Visiting customers are encouraged to get ‘truly hands-on’ in creating their own rings and other jewellery as they pick from a hand-selected array of dazzling diamonds.
Located at 46 Piccadilly, just a stone’s throw from The Ritz hotel, the stunning space which is billed as a world first comprises has been opened just in time for ‘proposal season’ (which peaks from November through to February).
Its diamond craftspeople – known as ‘guardian angels’ and ‘alchemists’ – are on hand to provide a touch ‘magic and dramatic theatre’ to the process.
Get ready to rock: Vashi’s new flagship store allows customers to design their own bespoke jewellery amid a rapid rise in women – up to an estimated 75 per cent – now demanding to be involved in their choice of engagement ring
So how does it work? After picking a design and creating a digital mood-board, customers get to pick from an array of dazzling diamonds, each of which has been selected the founder Vashi Dominguez.
Next, customers are taken to the underground diamond lab where they watch their ‘alchemist’ get to work with state-of-the-art lasers, chemicals and flames to melt and form the precious metal that will set their diamond.
They even got the chance to roll up their sleeves and get involved, polishing and setting the diamond themselves in Vashi’s first brick-and-mortar store.
The diamonds, which are all ethically sourced, come with a lifetime guarantee and some are as much as 3 billion years old.
The new store claims to offer diamond expertise at ‘attractive pricing’ that sits substantially below equivalent Bond Street price tags – and around 50 per cent below Tiffany & Co.
Dominguez told MailOnline: ‘Here at VASHI, we’re seeing more couples than ever creating their rings together. I would say as many as one in three purchases are now couples shopping together – a number that’s doubled in the last three years.
‘And that’s being led by more and more women wanting to be involved in the whole process.’
Customers are taken to the underground diamond lab where they watch their ‘alchemist’ get to work with state-of-the-art lasers, chemicals and flames to melt and form the precious metal that will set their diamond
Your dream ring: Visiting customers are encouraged to get ‘truly hands-on’ in creating their own rings and other jewellery as they pick from a hand-selected array of dazzling diamonds
Vashi are hoping to ‘disrupt’ the market with their new store by offering an alternative to the ‘austere and intimidating environments’ of traditional jewellers.
In fact, they are so confident in the retail experience that customers are offered a personalised film or even ‘coffee table book’ documenting the design process.
A spokesperson said: ‘Customers are being made to feel anything but welcome when, in fact, buying an engagement ring is one of life’s most important purchases.’
The sprawling retail space is almost as opulent as the jewels it houses; even its door handles are made from kimberlite, an earth found deep within the Earth’s crust that contains diamonds – but bosses insist the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly.
The company is the brainchild of Dominguez, and claims to offer the very best diamond expertise at ‘attractive pricing’ that sit ‘substantially below’ equivalent Bond Street and even high street pricing
The sweeping space is almost as opulent as the jewels it houses; even its door handles are made from kimberlite, an earth found deep within the Earth’s crust that contains diamonds – but bosses insist the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly
The company are so confident the retail experience is an enjoyable one that customers are offered a personalised film or even coffee table book documenting the process
Dominguez added: ‘By establishing our first concept store, we want to make you the heroes and heroines, the stars of the show, fully immersed in the incredible and hidden world of diamond jewellery, whether for the love of your life or for yourself – the whole experience is about you, not about us.
‘We are all about helping you recreate the sort of raw, intense, pure emotion and overwhelming love that brought tears of joy to your parents’ eyes as you proudly presented your first love letter to them, drawn at school – a drawing that was of course treasured for life.
‘We don’t really want to sell you what is on display – we always prefer you handpick your own diamond, play with them while you choose the one that appeals most to you, match this with your favourite setting – or even design it from scratch – and finally put your own heart into making your ring, with us as your support crew.’
Five steps to creating your dream engagement ring
Vashi’s new flagship store on London’s Piccadilly
1. A team of resident ‘guardian angels’ and ‘alchemists’ take customers through the full sensory experience of the ‘brave make’.
2. After picking a design and creating a digital mood board, customers can get hands-on with choosing their diamond.
3. Customers are then invited into the ‘underworld’ of the VASHI diamond lab, where they sit alongside a personal ‘alchemist’ as they set to work with state-of-the-art lasers, chemicals and flames to melt and form metal to set their diamond.
4. Customers are invited to roll up their sleeves and take part in the creation of their ring, polishing and setting their diamond themselves.
5. Every step on the journey to creating this unique ring is captured as a personalised film to share on social, and as an impressive coffee table book to be shared with loved ones.