The ring that Prince William decided to give Kate Middleton when he proposed to her in Kenya, was an elegant cluster ring previously worn by his mother Princess Diana when she got engaged to Prince Charles.
The huge oval blue sapphire - a stunning 18 carats - is surrounded by 14 brilliant-cut diamonds. The band is gold. This ring is heavy! At the time it cost £28,000 from Garrard who have been the official crown jewellers for the British monarchy since 1843 and have designed both personal and public pieces of great complexity, wealth, and standing. Even though the ring was actually a catalogue design, not made for her especially and therefore open to the public to buy, it was still a piece of distinction and laudable of notice as one of the world's most famous gems.
The choice of a sapphire engagement ring over the more traditional diamond garnered the way for non-diamond rings to become more popular with the classic oval shape proving to be the time-honored symbol of elegance. Replica rings today are prevalent from many retailers and although they may not be a total mirror image of quality and dimension, they are still admired and immediately recognizable because of the occasion they are related to. Replica prices depend on the semi precious gemstones used (cubic zirconia or otherwise), the overall size and quality of the creation, while true gemstone replicas depend mainly on the quality of the sapphire and diamonds surrounding it. After Princess Diana's death in 1997, the ring was bestowed upon Prince William who has stated "It's my mother's engagement ring, so of course it's very special to me, and Kate's now very special to me, so it was only right to put the two together."
As they posed for pictures at St James' Palace, William also said giving Kate the ring was his way of ensuring his late mother could be part of the occasion and handing it on to his wife-to-be will undoubtedly have been hugely emotional.
There has been much hype over the stone and indeed the Wedding, we are sure to see a media frenzy over the coming 6 weeks, with many papers dedicating front pages and many column inches to its coverage. If you would like to take a part the wedding home with you to cherish, there is much Royal Wedding Memorabilia on offer.
Alternatively if you want to cherish Kate Middleton's Engagement Ring for yourself there are excellent replicas on offer ranging from tens of pounds to thousands of pounds. Jo Pearse
