Thinking of a Valentine’s Day engagement? You might want to forgo the diamond hunting.
Luxury handbag retailer and blog Baghunter recently admitted that they utilized the company’s Bag Bespoke service to customize a rare Hermes Birkin bag as an alternate to an engagement ring. The gentleman requested a custom artwork on the Birkin to include the names of both himself and his girlfriend and the date of the proposal enclosed in a red heart, doing away with the tradition of using a diamond ring.
The idea of proposing with unconventional gifts isn’t completely unheard of among young affluent men, as diamonds begin to lose their sparkle both in terms of uniqueness and value. In fact, we recently shared data from the site that showed that a Birkin may be a better investment than stocks or gold.
“The idea behind the traditional proposal involving a diamond ring was to signify both love and financial security”, said Baghunter CEO, Evelyn Fox, “Diamonds were long thought of as an item that would hold its value, when in fact the value of diamonds has dramatically fallen in recent times. It is perhaps this shift in the perceived value of diamonds which has led to young men seeking new and unconventional gifts with which to propose, such as a bespoke Birkin bag”.
A brief survey conducted by Baghunter among their VIP customers revealed that a shift away from traditional proposals isn’t as unlikely as it seems, with over 70% of women responding that they would prefer a customized Birkin to a diamond engagement ring. It certainly worked for the trend-setting gentleman who is now happily engaged.
What do you think? Would you rather have a purse or a diamond?