Alessandra Camilla Milano’s Formula to Buying Engagement Rings
MILAN — In the aftermath of the pandemic even the purchase of an engagement ring has changed for good. Gone are the days when men spent months guessing the size, the shape and the stones that would awe their partners and make the wedding proposal unforgettable.
Milan-based up-and-coming jeweler Alessandra Camilla Milano is debuting “Diamond Bar,” a highly curated and personalized approach to buying engagement rings, which aims to ease the process while adding some fun and comfort to the experience.
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“The idea came naturally in response to observing men purchasing engagement rings and how they felt uncomfortable, unprepared or not necessarily expert in terms of designs and gemstones,” said Alessandra Camilla Mustacchi, the company’s founder and designer, who boasts former stints at Sotheby’s and Bulgari.
Based on a simple recipe, the Diamond Bar nods to cocktail bars and to mixing different ingredients in order to convey a distinctive and ultimately personalized flavor and taste. “Just like for cocktails,” she explained.
The concept revolves around offering up to 63 engagement ring options. Customers can choose the shape of the central diamond from seven alternatives; three different overall designs, which include the solitaire or a central stone flanked by a diamond pave or by two side stones, and have it crafted by Mustacchi’s Milan-based goldsmiths in different gold versions.
“In addition to setting aside a remarkable sum of money to make the purchase, men are often also stressed out by attempting to meet their partner’s desires,” Mustacchi said, noting her new approach can help make the purchase more informed, educated and fun. “Why should only the recipient enjoy the moment? It’s a feeling that also those who make the proposal should experience,” she added.
Although the brand had already experimented with the engagement ring category soon after it was founded in 2019, offering a made-to-order service, the new concept blends customers’ desire for highly personalized designs and Mustacchi’s own business need to speed up the production process by capitalizing on pre-designed combinations while not betraying her curatorial approach nor her commitment to offering one-of-a-kind pieces.
She explained that consumers often tend to favor established jewelry names, looking for reliability in terms of quality and provenance of the stones. A trained gemologist who studied at the GIA institutes, first in Carlsbad, Calif., and then in London, Mustacchi takes ethical issues into consideration, making sure stones and metals are fair mined in compliance with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, or KPCS.
The Diamond Bar is set to debut at the company’s showroom in central Milan, as well as online, where customers will be able to see a mock-up version of the ring before making their purchase. Depending on the value and carat of the stones, prices for Alessandra Camilla Milano’s engagement rings span from 1,800 euros to more than 100,000 euros. The brand, known for blending fine-jewelry designs crafted from 18-karat gold and diamonds with more affordable 9-carat pieces, is currently stocked at luxury jewelry store Cacciari Salvati in Porto Rotondo, Cortina and St. Moritz.
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