Asprey

A name synonymous with the height of luxury, started life as as silk printing business set up by William Asprey, a huguenot refugee in 1781. It soon became a luxury emporium and Asprey’s son Charles moved the shop to London’s Bond Street in 1841 where it remains to this day.

It’s watchwords are ‘articles of exclusive design and high quality’, whether for personal adornment or personal accompaniment.’ It’s first speciality was providing handcrafted leather travelling cases and trunks suitable for the new style of travel made possible by the railways. They achieved a Royal Warrant for them from Queen Victoria in 1862.

Asprey continued to expand through acquisition of other firms, taking on the best silversmiths, goldsmiths, jewellers and watchmakers to offer the very finest hand-made range of jewellery, silver, crystal, china and leather collections as well as trophies, hand bound books and polo items.

It’s main claim to fame is for bespoke commissions which are made in their upstairs workshop and these range from multi-million pound tiaras made with hundreds of ‘brilliants’ (with their own famous diamond cut incorporating the letter ‘A’) to a chess set made for Ringo Starr. It also supplied the trophies for Wimbledon, the ICC (cricket) and the FA Cup and medals.

They are famous for going to any lengths to meet customer requests and once produced a silver gilt bacon and fried egg sandwich for a Texan millionaire in keeping with the house motto ‘It can be done’.

Having held Royal Warrants from the time of Queen Victoria from both British and other Royal heads of state, they currently hold the Royal Warrant from the Prince of Wales as Jewellers, Goldsmiths and Silversmiths.