Meghan Markle bought diamond earrings worth £1,990 from a jewelery company founded by a woman, the owners have revealed.
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, received the jewelery from the artificial diamond brand Kimai while she was still an active member of the Royal Family in 2019.
The mother-of-two wore the brand’s Felicity earrings, which sell separately for £995, when she visited the Smart Works charity’s London headquarters.
Earlier this month, Kimai founders Sidney Neuhaus and Jessica Warch appeared on Dragons’ Den, where they boasted that the Duchess of Sussex was wearing their designs.
The founders, who were seeking an investment of £250,000 for a three per cent equity stake in their business, revealed how royal backing boosted their business, just two months after it launched.
Pictured: Meghan Markle is seen wearing the pair of £1,990 diamond earrings to visit the Smart Works headquarters in January 2019.
They explained: “We launched it with no investment and then two months after we launched we got Meghan Markle to wear our pieces, which allowed us to significantly increase revenue, and from there we raised $1.2 million.”
Steven Bartlett, who ended up investing in the business, asked the duo how they got the Duchess of Sussex to wear their jewellery.
Sidney said, “Cold emails.” Jessica then added: ‘We are big believers in cold emails!’
Although they also attracted interest from dragons Deborah Meade, Sara Davies and Peter Jones, the pair ended up choosing Steven.
The businessman said he was convinced to make an offer after seeing that Meghan Markle had worn his designs.
“The moment you said you were going to harass Meghan Markle, you had me,” he said.
The deal is the largest investment made by The Diary Of A CEO podcast host since he first joined the show in 2022.
Kimaï’s founders, Antwerp-born friends Sidney Neuhaus and Jessica Warch, were frustrated by the lack of supply chain transparency across the industry, so they pioneered the use of 100% traceable lab-grown diamonds.
Kimai’s Felicity earring features 26 lab-grown diamonds, totaling 0.24 carats, and sells for £995 each.
Dragons’ Den’s Steven Bartlett with Kimai co-founders Jessica Warch and Sidney Neuhaus after investing £250,000 in their business
In 2019, the couple made £350,000 in income and a net loss of -£350,000. The second year of trading saw revenues of £890,000 and a net loss of -£350,000 again.
Last year sales soared and they made £3m, with a net loss of £100,000. “And this year, we’re on track to win £5 million and a profit of £500,000,” Jessica told the judges.
Steven offered the duo the asking price in exchange for a five percent equity stake in the company, which they declined. Jessica’s negotiating skills managed to haggle Steven down to the original three percent that Kimaï offered.
Kimaï’s global e-commerce is growing at a rapid rate of 120 percent year on year, as the online market for sustainable fine jewelry is on the rise.
The Antwerp-born duo were satisfied after receiving three offers, but it was Steven they chose.
Once the negotiation was over, Steven embraced both Jessica and Sidney with a warm hug.
Once the negotiation was over, Steven embraced both Jessica and Sidney with a warm hug.
“They are two of the most impressive businessmen I have ever seen at The Den,” Steven said. ‘Rock solid in numbers, vision and convictions. Kind, humble, intelligent, tenacious and passionate.
“It’s annoying, they’re really incredible negotiators, which is annoying as an investor but perfect as business partners, so I’m happy to do business with them.”
‘They are absolutely packed. I will support them in any way I can – I will bring a wealth of knowledge to the business when it comes to marketing, innovation, community growth, scaling and I plan to use my extensive network of contacts. to open doors that will help further accelerate your incredible business.’
Made without environmentally harmful mining practices, the company’s sustainable stones are said to be physically, optically and chemically identical to their mined counterparts.
Using cutting-edge technology, laboratories can replicate the heat and pressure created by natural diamonds found in the earth. These sustainable jewelry can also provide 100 percent supply chain traceability.
Aimed at an environmentally conscious clientele, the brand offers a range of recycled gold and lab-grown diamond earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings and is proud to be one of the few fine jewelery labels to be B-certified. corp.
Kimaï will work with Steven and his team to amplify its digital presence, and the investment will be used to improve the customer experience at the brand’s flagship store in Marylebone, London.
This article has been amended since its initial publication to correct a suggestion that Kimai had given a pair of earrings to the Duchess of Sussex. We are pleased to clarify that the Duchess purchased the earrings.