Discover one of London’s best gifting services par excellence …

Issued : November 2019

…Leading luxury lifestyle website, Almost Essential Founder and taste maven, Michelle de Biolley, introduces her Inner Circle service for perfect gifting. This clever new membership based service can be easily accessed through the Almost Essential website and opens up a world of ingenious and innovative gifting possibilities. Each gift suggestion will be personally curated and sourced by Michelle. And best of all; it is available for a £25 monthly fee (automatically renews each month). www.almostessential.com

How does it work?

Michelle’s Inner Circle is easy to use and offers clients flexibility. If you are extremely organised and tend to plan ahead, then the calendar service will work for you. It entitles clients access to 10 perfectly curated gifts across the year for those special people and family members in your life.However, if you are a touch more spontaneous and prefer a nimble approach to your gifting then Michelle can find you fabulous gifts month-to-month giving you the freedom to be you. From the big birthdays and anniversaries to finding something truly memorable for a loved one, Michelle delivers a tailored and diverse range of exquisite gifts and amazing experiences. It’s so simple to join too, and just a click or two away within the website …Join online at : www.almostessential.com

A flavour of what clients can expect when you join Michelle’s Inner Circle:

Framing Memories

It’s your husband’s 50th birthday and you’re seeking something completely different. You want a lasting memory of this important landmark birthday. A photographic sitting with Royal portrait photographer, Ian Jones would record this big birthday and create lasting moments to cherish. The experience of participating in a photographic sitting is a joy too.

Photos courtesy of Ian Jones

Ian is an award-winning photographer, renowned for capturing the essence of a person. During his career, which has included a fifteen-year tenure at the Daily Telegraph as royal photographer (1992 – 2007) he covered all the major state occasions alongside private moments too. His images of the Queen and RoyalFamily, at home and through following their travels across the world in more than a hundred countries, earned him many industry accolades and awards. The pinnacle of his royal photography led him to receive the Royal Photographer of the Decade.

Ian enjoys maximising each setting for every portrait sitting. From a landmark birthday, to large family weddings in spectacular places or those intimate gatherings, Ian will ensure your precious memories are recorded for all time and captured in a magical way. The perfect grand statement gift.

New Beginnings …

Christening gifts can often tend to be run of the mill. But Michelle’s New York based client requested she find something that embraced a memory and provided some beautiful playful items for the London based recipient. Michelle’s skills came to the fore when she sourced a rare period solid silver christening beaker, which she arranged to be hand engraved, she partnered this with some of the prettiest soft toys and the softest cuddle-skin blanket. It was elegantly packaged in a willow basket, personally labelled and hand delivered to its lucky young recipient in London.

Jeweltopia

Michelle continues to discover the most talented artisans and crafts-people and her stable of jewellers and gem stone experts is truly exceptional. One such find is Natascha Traun who creates wonderful, individual jewellery pieces. Her made to order signature one-of-a-kind cocktail rings have an enviable following and come in an array of rare and semi-precious stones. For inspiration before you commission a ring, look out for her unusual chalcedon and diamonds set within richly hued polished wood, tourmaline and moonstones set in gold, silver or rose gold or perhaps morganite or smoke quartz and diamonds set in blacked silver. Alongside the precious metal settings Natascha has designed some, which are set in characterful wood and horn lending a different energy to them.

Ring a ding ding …

Each cocktail ring is a unique and sculptural style statement, they say something different and are the perfect party rings with pizazz! A precious gift for a very special friend or lover perhaps? But definitely for the most fashion savvy and discerning woman…

Another amazing jewellery designer from Michelle’s coterie of chosen specialists is Augustine Jewels. This small English luxury jewellery brand is based in London and overseen by expert designer, Alexandra Robson. Only ethically sourced, natural gemstones are selected for Augustine Jewels’ intricate and beautiful pieces. Each piece is handcrafted in London by Alexandra’s team of artisan jewellers.

Augustine Jewels collections are inspired by some of Europe’s most romantic travel destinations. They are at once enchanting and magical and are sure to make a special gift for a loved one… The colour themed collections are designed to echo the visual delight of a region, whether it be the warmth and soft hues of the South of France, the chic energy and romance of Paris or the sheer beauty and vibrancy of Portofino, these collections make the most memorable gifts.

The South of France collection is comprised sky blue topaz, amethyst, prasiolite (green), citrine, rose and smokey quartz. These gentle tones effortlessly capture the vistas of the Provencal region, amethyst for the lavender fields, citrine reflecting the magical southern French sun, the smoke and rose quartz perfectly picking out the magical sunsets of the area and prasiolite green mimicking the lush verdant greenery of the region. Alexandra can also be commissioned for bespoke pieces, to discover more about her work visit www.almostessential.com

Hostess with the mostess . . .

Finding the perfect hostess gift can be a challenge when there are a number of events to attend over the festive time, but Michelle’s antennae in bringing together a fabulous selection of unusual and different thank you gifts is sure to help. Perhaps a stunning Fornasetti candle could be just the ticket? These witty and imaginative porcelain encased candles are in themselves small works of art and highly covetable as keepsakes. Why not join Michelle’s Inner Circle and tap into her imagination, the options are endless …

Creating memories

Michelle can curate special collections to create a medley gift for almost any occasion. These combination gifts resonate personally with the recipient and help stir and preserve those special memories. For a romantic Christmas dining experience an example could be selecting a beautiful Victoria Cator candle (Santa Baby); add hand embroidered Umbrian linen napkins, pop in two sets of fine bone handled cutlery, a good bottle of wine and some elegant Biot stemware. These are perfect ingredients to begin a romantic festive dinner date…

Dining table details:<> Victoria Cator Santa Baby fragrance large 4 – wick table candle £140.00<> Biot Rubine stemware<> Montana or Oregon cutlery (Atelier d’Art de France member) Montana is available with Rosewood, Boxwood or Olive wood handles and Oregon is available with Olive or Rosewood handles. Both designs are forged either in 33-micron silver plate or 18/10 stainless steel. Choose dishwasher safe stainless steel for ease. (Four-piece and five piece sets).<> Umbrian linen embroidered napkins depicting bountiful fruits and fauna.<> Celian & Vianney’s French wine discovery – two French men who know their wines and source affordable, excellent wine from smaller French vineyards.To enjoy these curated experiences and more, join Michelle’s Inner Circle through her website: www.almostessential.comNB Notes to editors:To discover how Michelle can help make someone’s day and to find out more about the journey to great gifting experiences as well as exploring more about the intriguing background stories to her group of chosen specialists, retailers and crafts-people, please visit: www.almostessential.com-Ends –