
What better way to celebrate President’s Nursultan Nazarbayev’s recent election victory than with a necklace from Alsara, the new jewelry line designed by his youngest daughter?
Yours for a very reasonable $100,000.
Kazakhs based in London’s West End -- or even just visiting -- can now pop into the local branch of Damiani, the upmarket Italian jewelers, and choose from six designs by Aliya Nazarbayeva.
"We just received the pieces on Friday,” a salesman at the Old Bond Street branch told EurasiaNet.org. “It's exclusive to London at the moment. So far we’ve only had six pieces come in, but it’s a big collection of about 20 pieces. It starts at £15,000 [$25,000] and, depending on the stones you want, it goes up to £65,000 [$100,000].”
The “Alsara” line, named by fusing Aliya’s name with that of her mother, Sara, is already advertised on billboards in Almaty and Astana.
Nazarbayeva, smiling diffidently, looks out against what looks like the sumptuous interior of an Italian palazzo.
"Aliya and Damiani present to Kazakhstan ... Alsara,” reads the strapline.
Soon, the jewelry will go on sale in Almaty, at the Dostyk Hotel, and in Astana, at the Rixos President, where rooms range from $400 to $1450 per night.
Nazarbayeva, 32, is not the first of Central Asia’s presidential daughters to launch her own jewelry line. Last year, Islam Karimov’s eldest daughter, Gulnara Karimova, teamed up with Chopard, the Swiss jewelers, to launch “Guli”, named, they said, after the Uzbek president’s pet name for her.
She’s not even the first celebrity to design for Damiani. Last December, the jewelers launched the Maji collection, co-designed by actress Sharon Stone, their “brand ambassador.” John Galliano, the British designer sacked last month by Dior, also designed a collection last year. And Sophia Loren, the Italian actress, launched a collection in 2006.
Alsara is not Aliya’s first business venture. Her Luxor spa in Almaty is the sports club of choice for Almaty’s elite.
Perhaps Damiani is hoping her jewelry will attract the same crowd.
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