Kate Middleton’s ring is now considered one of the most famous pieces of jewelry in the world as the sapphire-diamond engagement symbol for the Duchess of Cambridge emerges as an international fashion trend. The highly-talked about ring that once adorned the finger of Diana, Princess of Wales, when she accepted the Prince of Wales’ marriage proposal now known as Kate Middleton’s ring is becoming a world trend.

 

According to the outlet, the beginning of Kate’s marriage with Prince William marked a renewed interest in the Royal Family which provided enough juice for TV shows, books, and documentaries to bloom in the past six years. While it is no question that the sapphire-diamond ring has already made a name in the industry since the Princess of Wales wore it in public, the piece of jewelry that now adorns Kate Middleton’s left hand has become more popular than ever. In fact, according to Telegraph UK, there has been a surge of orders for replicas of the Kate Middleton ring after 36 years of becoming just another thing in the past. Based on an article from the outlet, Garrard, the Royal family’s jeweler of choice, has reported “a significant uplift in sales” for the past couple of months. The report revealed that most of the customers queuing up for the Kate Middleton ring replicas are among the Russian and Chinese middle classes.

Of course, the ring wasn’t exactly a customized piece made for the Princess of Wales as Telegraph UK reveals that Prince Charles actually chose it from the jeweler’s catalogue, presumably because it looked a lot like the sapphire and diamond brooch Prince Albert gifted Queen Victoria. As far as the outlet knew, the company remained quite discreet about how much Kate Middleton’s ring cost when Prince Charles bought it for Princess Diana though the smallest of its replicas have a price tag of at least £5,000 or almost $8,000. Unfortunately, replicas of the Kate Middleton ring are rumored to have mysteriously disappeared from the Royal gift shop. Sources tell the Daily Mail that orders to remove the item from the souvenir collection was an order from the Duchess herself.

Aside from the Kate Middleton ring which Garrard lovingly dubbed as the “Diana ring,” the company is also responsible in making five crowns for the Queen, including the Imperial State Crown which was used during Her Majesty’s coronation. Garrard also made Queen Elizabeth’s Crown which is embellished with the popular Koh-i-Noor diamond, carefully and meticulously re-cut by Dutch diamond cutter Levie Benjamin Voorzanger in 1852. According to Milner, Prince Albert ordered that the gem be re-cut under the supervision of several members of the Royal Family, including the Duke of Wellington because he was chagrined to see its underwhelming appearance.