The magenta-colored Birkin bag was already eye-catching enough. To Ashna Mehta, however, it was merely a backdrop. The founder of Bag Bijoux, a fine jewelry brand specializing in high-end diamond bag charms that can be converted into pendants and pins, was debuting her collection at the Couture show in Las Vegas and had chosen to showcase her most luxe creation to date, the $2.1 million Gilded Bloom Haute Bag Bijoux, on one of her mother’s vibrantly colored Birkins.
Not only does Gilded Bloom feature a 36.89 ct. natural fancy intense yellow cushion-cut diamond at its center, the stone is framed by 6.65 cts. t.w. kite-shape GH/VVS-VS diamonds, while the surrounding petals feature 34.9 cts. t.w. rose-cut diamonds that lend the piece a soft, luminous glow.
That Mehta entered the floral-inspired jewel into the haute couture category of the show’s Design Awards—where it won top honors—speaks to how quickly she has helped establish a market for bag adornments that, unlike Labubus, plushies, and leather ornaments, are unapologetically luxurious.
“I’m surprised nobody else has done it,” Mehta, who splits her time between Dubai, New York, and London, tells JCK. “It’s fun to explore in a space where you’re just on your own doing what you want and there are no rules or boundaries because it’s all just free flowing.”
For Mehta, a scion of the powerful family behind the Indian-Belgian diamond conglomerate Rosy Blue (CEO Dilip Mehta is her grandfather), a love of natural diamonds was instilled from birth. Rather than seeing Ashna’s avant-garde use of diamonds as antithetical to their business, her family has embraced the concept.
“They think it’s very clever,” she says. “And they’re helping me source—everyone’s really supportive.”
Top: Gilded Bloom Haute Bag Bijoux in 18k white and yellow gold with 36.89 ct. fancy intense yellow cushion diamond, 6.65 cts. t.w. kite-shape diamonds, and 34.9 cts. t.w. rose-cut diamonds, $2.1 million; Ashna Mehta
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