Ethical designers behind Meghan Markle's favorite earrings make a shocking TV appearance

THE ethical jewelers behind Meghan Markle's favorite £630 earrings made a surprise TV appearance on Thursday – and walked away a quarter of a million pounds richer.

Kimaï co-founders Jessica Warch and Sidney Neuhau founded their brand to redefine the way fine jewelry is made, and now consider the Duchess of Sussex their most high-profile fan.

3

The entrepreneurs founded the company in 2019 to produce 'jewelry that doesn't cost the earth'.

They do this by using only lab-grown diamonds and making each piece from recycled solid 18-karat gold.

In 2019 and two months after Kimaï's launch, Meghan showed up in London wearing a pair of £630 Felicity earrings from the 100% ethical brand.

This was a defining moment for the brand, which generated sales of $1.2 million (£945,000).

Kimaï only sells beautiful jewelry; from engagement rings and wedding rings to elegant earrings and pendants.

Now Jessica and Sidney have secured a record £250,000 investment in Dragon's Den.

In exchange for a 3% equity stake, they shook hands with the cash injection from fellow entrepreneur Steven Bartlett.

It's the largest amount a CEO frontman's diary has invested since joining the show in 2022.

Jessica and Sidney even mentioned Meghan as a key client when pitching for The Dragons, adding that actresses Emma Watson and Jessica Alba are also fans of their jewelry.

They revealed that they managed to get Meghan to wear their earrings by sending “cold emails”.

“We're big proponents of cold emails,” says Jessica. “It's the same way we got all our investors, because we didn't know anyone in the space.”

This year Kimaï will make a profit of £500,000 after making losses for the past four years.

To get Steven on board, they assured him that lab-grown diamonds are “physically and chemically” identical to mined diamonds.

“We use advanced technology that mimics the natural diamond growth process in a laboratory,” Jessica and Sidney promise on the brand's website.

“The resulting diamond is identical to a diamond mined in every respect, except for its lower environmental impact.

“At Kimaï we have carefully selected all our materials and partners so that we can follow every step in the journey of our jewelry and give you complete clarity about the story of your stone.

“We promise to always keep our supply chain transparent.

“We work in Antwerp with trusted professionals, from goldsmiths and typesetters to polishers.

“This allows us to ensure that everyone works in a safe environment and we have close control over the entire process.”

3