The Gentleman Magazine Issue 6 | December 2017 | Page 59

Looking to invest in something special for yourself? Vashi
will make sure it comes out exactly the way you want it. When
you're buying a rock that's billions of years old, that's not an
unreasonable request.
Like many “disruptive” new ideas, custom-made jewellery is
not strictly new to the industry, as a quick google will reveal. But
this is, perhaps, the first time that regular diamond buyers can
get quite so hands-on in a real store – and, indeed, a laboratory.
Vashi claims that the whole idea came from disappointment
with the stuffy, unwelcoming nature of existing UK diamond
stores, where staff are hard to talk to and the whole aesthetic
is austere and impersonal. The brand will aim to attract
yuppies and millennials who are turned-off by such old-school
traditionalism, and perhaps enthused by its commitment to
ethical sourcing and full traceability. It will be interesting to see
how much Vashi appeals to other demographics, and whether
it can win over the industry's old guard. Some resistance is to
be expected, that won't hamper the the team at Vashi and their
infectious, forward-looking fervour.
VASHI is located at 46 Piccadilly and is open 7 days a week.
Vashi.com
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