How China’s US$31m ‘wedding of the decade’ boosted sales for a 200 year old French jeweller
It was called the “wedding of the decade” in China – a US$31 million extravaganza that saw Shanghai-born movie star Angelababy wed actor Huang Xiaoming in October last year. The six-carat, US$1.6 million wedding ring ignited an unexpected but long-lasting frenzy after the bride posted photos of it on social media. The ring, designed by French jeweller Chaumet, was called the “Angelababy Ring” by millions of Chinese netizens.
One year after the spectacle, Chaumet chief executive Jean-Marc Mansvelt recalls that the overwhelming response from Chinese clients to the so-called Joséphine Aigrette Impériale ring was “even more than we had thought.”
“It is really an acceleration in terms of our visibility,” the 52 year old former Louis Vuitton veteran, who took over the reins of the jewellery house in 2014, told the South China Morning Post.
The cost of the wedding rivalled the US$34 million nuptials of British royals Prince William and Kate Middleton – and was roughly five times what Hong Kong superstars Carina Lau and Tony Leung shelled out when they tied the knot in Bhutan in 2014.
The elaborate gala, attended by over 100 big names including movie star Lin Chi-ling and Wanda Group’s heir apparent Wang Sicong, generated a buzz on both mainstream and social media platforms, including Weibo and Wechat.
