Founded as a silk printing business by William Asprey, a descendant of a Huguenot family who fled France during Louis XIV's reign[4], it soon became a luxury emporium.Asprey was recognised for its expertise when it won honourable mention for its dressing cases at the International Exhibition of 1862, but it ultimately lost out to its rivals, H.J.Queen Mary purchased a five-strand natural pearl necklace with a diamond-set Art Deco clasp in 1948, as a gift for Princess Margaret’s 18th birthday.[7] Asprey cigarette cases became collectable amongst young sophisticates who delighted in its other modern products, including travel clocks, safety razors and automatic pencil sharpeners.[8] In the 1970s, brothers Algernon and Harry Asprey were asked to resign as managing directors and they sold their shares to Gabriel Harrison's property company.Asprey's signature silhouettes have been carried by Margaret Thatcher, Elizabeth Taylor and many worn on the red carpet at prestigious events.Following the war, this practice was further developed to include a range of books, old and new, that were bound by Asprey, thus augmenting the company's tradition in leather goods.An expanded jewellery, silver and leather workshop based in London are where classic skills are employed by silversmiths, goldsmiths, jewellers, leatherworkers, engravers and watchmakers.[51] To mark Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, Asprey partnered with light artist Chris Levine to create a new work based upon his 2004 portrait Equanimity, commissioned by The Jersey Heritage Trust in 2004.One thousand white diamonds were set in platinum by Asprey craftsmen and overlaid onto the original three-dimensional image of the Queen to create the luminescent installation.In 2009, Hermés, the French luxury fashion house, made a property investment purchasing the freehold of the New Bond Street shop that Asprey occupied.[61][62] Asprey moved to 36 Bruton Street at the end of 2021, its new permanent flagship, firstly creating an installation space designed by the Storey Group, an immersive experience of discovery and exploration.
A watch display at Asprey's store on New Bond Street