ON THE ROCKS: The Chinese actress Liu Shishi was married last month in Bali to actor Nicholas Wu, in a custom Carven creation. She also wore a bespoke De Beers ring, entitled “Infinity Heart,” consisting of a five-carat DIF solitaire diamond mounted on a pavé diamond platinum band, with an intertwined heart and infinity motif, worth more than $1 million.
While it was designed exclusively for Shishi, the company decided to launch it in stores. The “Infinity Heart” ring comes in a five-, three- or one-carat. The one-carat version is available exclusively via its app called “For You Forever,” which is a bespoke service. Price is upon application.
Bridal jewelry represents more than 50 percent of the company’s business, Sidonie Robert-Degove, De Beers managing director of Europe and U.S., told WWD at a press presentation on Tuesday in Paris at De Beers’ high jewelry salon on 19 Rue de la Paix. “We see more and more women who don’t need to marry to treat themselves with an engagement ring or a solitaire diamond,” she noted.
The company also presented the new bridal section of its Web site — “Your Bridal Style” quiz — which invites clients to discover their bridal style. “The whole point is to get people to create their own mood board; they can Pinterest from the Web site,” a spokeswoman for De Beers explained. The digital feature is also meant to support De Beers’ e-commerce site, which launched last year in the U.K. and the U.S., and the forthcoming French version, and ties in with De Beers’ strategy to roll out bridal ad campaigns online.
The company is to host a similar event in London on April 20, followed by a presentation of its Red Carpet high jewelry collection on April 26 and 27 in New York.