Originially, Bulgari had paid Weldon an undisclosed amount to write a short work of fiction with at least 12 favourable mentions of the company.
However, Weldon took it a step further and is set to release a new novel, The Bulgari Connection, in November.
The Bulgari sponsorship has not gone down well in literary circles. Critics warn it threatens the purity of the novel.
However, as a publicity coup, it could hardly have been more successful for Weldon, Bulgari and the book's US and UK publishers, Grove/Atlantic and HarperCollins respectively. The story has received blanket coverage in the UK media and in The New York Times.