The Duchess of Sussex has sparked a shopping frenzy after wearing a personalised ‘A’ necklace, crafted by Australian jeweller Emma Swann, at Wimbledon.
Ms Swann, who founded Verse Fine Jewellery in Sydney, said she didn’t interact with Meghan Markle directly but exchanged notes with ‘her people’ to prepare the $590 necklace with the initial ‘A’ made as a touching tribute for the royal’s baby son Archie.
Following Meghan’s surprise appearance at Serena Williams‘ tennis match on July 4, Ms Swann received an ‘avalanche’ of orders for the design, with a huge interest in the 18k gold causing the website to crash twice.
The bespoke ‘A’ necklace the Duchess of Sussex wore to Wimbledon was a $590 piece crafted by Australian jeweller Emma Swann
The A necklace by Emma Swann
‘Meghan is modern, fashionable and always on-trend, and personalised jewellery is the biggest trend right now,’ Ms Swann told FEMAIL.
‘It’s all about sentiment and love, which people adore, and to see her wearing the necklace is amazing.
‘I’ve had an avalanche of orders since this went online, with people wanting initials for various reasons, many with hearts, for their children or partners – and some christenings, which is lovely.’
The Love Letters necklace is Verse Fine Jewellery’s most popular piece, with many people choosing to wear a loved ones initials around their neck.
Ms Swann, who is a huge ‘royal fan’, loved watching the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their Australian tour and has a huge respect for Meghan’s uniqueness.
Ms Swann – who’s originally from London – also gave the Duchess another necklace – this one with ‘M’ and ‘H’ initials on it – at the Invictus Games on the Gold Coast last October.
Ms Swann (pictured), who is a huge ‘royal fan’, loved watching the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their Australian tour and has a huge respect for Meghan’s uniqueness
Ms Swann said she loved watching the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their Australian tour and has a huge respect for Meghan’s uniqueness.
‘It’s wonderful to see how Meghan embraces fashion and doesn’t always fit the “royal” mode,’ she said.
The British-born designer is a great talent and was trained at Central St Martins College of Art and Design in London, where alumni include Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney.
She is carefully watching the industry as it changes and can see how important personalisation is to the modern woman.
‘It’s wonderful to see how Meghan embraces fashion and doesn’t always fit the “royal” mode,’ she said (The ‘A’ necklace she made is pictured)
London-born Swann also gave the Duchess another necklace – this one with ‘M’ and ‘H’ initials on it – at the Invictus Games on the Gold Coast last October (pictured)
‘I get a lot of requests to reset or redesign family heirlooms. With diamond rings and engagement rings, more people are wanting to design them themselves,’ she said.
‘Here at Verse Fine Jewellery, we use GIA certified diamonds that are conflict free, and as more people become ethically aware, they want to know where their diamond has come from.
‘I also deal direct to consumer, so there are no retail margins, meaning clients can save up to tens of thousands of dollars.
‘This is a huge trend at the moment, especially in bridal jewellery, and it cuts out all the shop rent, staff, all of that stuff, so the client gets a beautiful item of jewellery without all the mark up.’
Ms Swann feels as though people are moving away from fashion jewellery made from ‘cheap alloy’ and watching designs that will stand the test of time
At Wimbledon Meghan, wearing Ms Swann’s iconic jewellery, looked in high spirits as she could be seen cheering for Serena Williams
Ms Swann feels as though people are moving away from fashion jewellery made from ‘cheap alloy’ and watching designs that will stand the test of time.
‘Even with nine, fourteen or eighteen carat gold plated, the colour comes off, it’s not going to last and you can’t keep it on forever,’ she said.
‘My Love Letters are made in 18 carat solid gold, which is high-end, so it lasts; it’s what all the big houses such as Tiffany, Bulgari, Cartier and Graaf use.’
At Wimbledon Meghan, wearing Ms Swann’s iconic jewellery, looked in high spirits as she could be seen cheering for Serena Williams from the crowd alongside her friends from Northwestern University, Genevieve Hills and Lindsay Roth.
Williams, who became friends with Meghan after meeting her at a charity football match in 2014, was a guest at her wedding to Harry in May 2018.