In a bid to attract more customers and boost sales, a husband-and-wife baker duo in France have decided to hide diamonds in their pastry products. Nicolas Lelut, 35, and his wife Julie, 30, are expecting a mad rush outside their bakeries – ‘Délices de Belleville’ in Paris, and ‘L’Amandine’ in Custines, where the two diamond-containing pastries will go on sale among 800 ‘plain’ ones.

The promotional sale is all set to take place on January 6, on the occasion of The Epiphany, a Christian feast day that celebrates the incarnation of God the Son as Jesus Christ. Customers who visit either Délices de Belleville bakery on the day will have a 0.25 percent chance of winning a 0.20-carat diamond worth 600 euros. The pastry at Délices de Belleville will contain a white diamond, while the one at L’Amandine will carry a blue one. Both the rocks have been provided and certified by a reliable local jeweler.

Photo: Les Delices de Belleville/Facebook

Thankfully, no one will be at risk of accidentally biting into or swallowing such tiny diamonds. Nicolas and Julie have inserted much larger fake diamonds in the baked dishes, which the finders can exchange for real ones at the shops. The idea for the sale apparently belongs to Julie, who was talking about diamonds with her hairdresser one day when she realised it was the perfect way to attract customers, especially women, to their new store at Belleville. 

Photo: Alexandre Marchi/L’Est Republicain

This isn’t the first time we’re seeing bakeries use precious materials to increase sales. In the past, we’ve covered a Spanish bakery that sprinkled edible gold on its bread and sold it at a whopping $150 per loaf, and a doughnut shop in Canada created the $100 ‘Donutopia’, covered in 24-karat gold flakes last year. But Nicolas and Julie seemed to have upped the game – they’re probably the first bakers ever to actually include diamonds in their confections.

Source: L’Est Republicain