Kate Middleton’s diamond engagement ring
Have you seen the Kate Middleton Ring?
The royal wedding which took place on April 29th has created enough and more news. But one aspect that has been much talked about even past it is about the Kate Middleton ring. The ring was first picked out by Prince William’s mother Lady Diana for her engagement and was an eighteen carat sapphire. The wedding announcement of Prince William added to the lore when it was chosen as the engagement ring he gave to Kate. Prince William was heard saying that it was his way of ensuring Lady Diana is part of the wedding. The ring has been much discussed from the moment news of the engagement was heard.
It was at St. James Palace that the world got a glimpse of a familiar 18 carat sapphire surrounded by diamonds which was previously worn by Diana. It was the very same ring that was scoffed at my quite a few in the royal family for being a commoners ring. Her decision to not have one custom made was not received well and it cost $60,000 then. This same ring has now become the Kate Middleton ring, which was initially with Prince Harry. Prince Harry gave it to his brother as he felt it should be gracing the finger of the future Queen of England.
The Kate Middleton ring was carried around by William in a ruck-sack after having retrieved it from the royal safe. It was after three weeks in Africa that he finally popped the question to Kate. Minutes after the ring was unveiled during the engagement announcement, orders for the same flooded in again in jewelry stores all over the world. For jewelers that deal in Sapphires this was a boon indeed as business strategies and orders rolled in overnight in large numbers. The ring has turned into a legacy when it was also chosen by Prince William for Kate.
While the actual ring which was called a commoners ring has now become far from affordable for the commoner. There are replicas of the royal ring which are available with 1-2 carat sapphires surrounded by diamonds for $1000-$2500 and are set in 18-karat white gold. The royal ring is worth nearly half a million dollars and its sapphire stone alone costs $300,000 in retail. The Kate Middleton ring has revived the love for sapphires in the fashion world and engagement rings which are custom made designs of this one are coming out in large numbers.