InsideJapan News Network

The upmarket Ginza district was inundated by bargain hunters on Monday after a jewellery store organised a giveaway of small diamonds.

French jewellery chain Mauboussin provided a free 0.1 carat diamond valued at 5,000 yen (£3.15) to each of its first 5,000 customers in order to increase awareness of the brand in Japan.

Large queues extending around several blocks descended upon the store, which encouraged takers of the offer to have a ring or pendant containing the free jewel made in store, though this service came at a price beginning at 50,000 yen.

A Mauboussin statement said: "We hope to blow away the recession and provide an opportunity for people who are holding back on spending to have fun shopping and glow even more with beauty."

Last week, students at a Tokyo university received free iPhones as part of a new electronic class registration experiment designed to combat truancy.

Written by Susan Ballion


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