Celebrating One Year in the Marylebone Community
Wow, has it really been a year already?
Today, we’re incredibly proud to celebrate the first anniversary of our London showroom, nestled in the heart of Marylebone. Opening our doors in such a historic part of the capital was a truly special milestone for Lily Arkwright, and looking back on the past year, we couldn’t be more grateful for everything it has brought.
From the couples who have visited us to find the ring they’ll treasure for a lifetime, to the wonderful moments shared with friends and family along the way, our Marylebone showroom has become a place where some of life’s most meaningful moments begin.
One person who knows this better than anyone is our store manager, Charlotte. She has been with us for just under two years, after graduating from Oxford University with a degree in German Literature. Although she never expected to end up working in the luxury sphere, she says she instantly fell in love with the industry and feels privileged to be a part of such an important decision in people’s lives.
We spoke to Charlotte about the past year and exactly what it has meant to her.
What was it like transitioning from the old showroom to this one?
“It was a whirlwind. We had been building up to this move for probably around 18 months before it happened, looking at different locations, layouts, really imagining and perfecting our vision of what we wanted the showroom to be. When the move finally happened, we hit the ground running and within days, our old showroom had been totally deconstructed, and we were all set to move in!
Our whole environment and way of operating changed for better in this new location. In our old showroom, we had a single table, and could only host pre-booked appointments – and then only one at the time!
Now, we have so much more space for appointments, capacity for people to just drop in and browse our collections or speak to our consultants, and space for the team to customer queries by email to jump onto the phone or LiveChat whenever needed. We have so many more rings to see as well, beautiful window displays, and a huge collection of gemstone pieces and fine jewellery that people have responded really well to.”
Why do you think Marylebone is such a perfect fit?
“Marylebone was the perfect choice for so many reasons. We’re right in the heart of such a vibrant area for shopping, eating, and going out. It's a lovely place to come, we’re outside of the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street while still being fabulously well connected to the rest of London.
It's a good job too! As we often have people travelling to us from all over London, the south east, even as far as Jersey or even Belgium – we’re right between Baker Street and Bond Street stations, making us accessible to customers travelling from all over.
On Sundays, there is the most wonderful farmers’ market just outside the showroom! I’ll never forget the first time I arrived to find someone unloading a box of carrots outside our door. I almost had a heart attack! We love them though, we’ve actually had a few of the farmers into the showroom, with one now even rocking a beautiful pair of Lily Arkwright diamond earrings.”
What are some of your favourite memories from the last year?
“All of my favourite showroom moments of the past year have come from our lovely customers. We’re dog-friendly now, so we’ve had some beautiful four-legged friends coming in with their owners for appointments, which always puts a smile on our faces.
We’ve had customers who visited our old location to select their engagement ring come here and be amazed at how much we’ve grown and what a beautiful new location we have. Once, we even had a proposal happen right outside the showroom, literally right after collecting his ring!
Honestly, people always find a way to amaze you, and the people we welcome into our showroom are by far the best parts of our day.”
What are you most excited about for Lily Arkwright in the future?
“I am so excited to see which trends come into effect and what more we can do to get customers their perfect ring. I am loving seeing more fancy-coloured diamond viewing appointments on the calendar than ever before, as well as bespoke and custom ring consultations. It’s such a pleasure seeing people come with all new creative ideas for their rings; whether celebrity inspired, unusual shapes and colours, or bringing back vintage styles like cigar bands and bezel settings.
Every year we develop new processes, sleeker designs, better bespoke offerings, and updated custom options – it’s so exciting to see where these will take the business in future!
In the immediate future though – Christmas! Marylebone is so gorgeous and festive in the holiday season, and the vibe in the showroom is absolutely electric – there’s always so much excitement, nervousness, and an incredible amount of love in the air!
My own parents got engaged on Christmas Eve, so it always seemed the most romantic thing in the world to me to get engaged over the holiday season. Last year’s Christmas season was a blur, we were newly moved in and just getting our bearings, but now we’re settled it feels like we can find the time to enjoy it this year. Even as we go into Autumn, I feel like I have a million spreadsheets, reminders, and meetings scheduled for Christmas 2026, and I cannot wait to see what comes.”
As we celebrate one year in London, we’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has visited, supported, and shared in this journey with us. Here’s to the first of many more years, unforgettable moments, and beautiful beginnings in Marylebone.