Kate Middleton’s ring increases ten-folds in value

With wedding season upon us, there is a whiff of love in the air, which is only amplified for many by celebrity engagements and the rings that accompany them. With recent news of The Duchess of Cambridge’s iconic engagement ring increasing ten-fold in value since it was originally bought for Princess Diana, it is certainly true that diamonds will always be a girl’s best friend.

The 12-carat oval sapphire, which is set in white gold and consists of 14 solitaire diamonds, was originally bought for £23,000. Although its Ceylon blue nature meant that it was a controversial choice at the time, this is certainly far from the case now. The value of this ring has since risen to £300,000 since being in the hands of Kate Middleton, causing replicas to be produced for many brides-to-be.

Vashi Dominguez, the jewellery expert on ITV’s This Morning and founder of beautiful jewellery company Vashi, puts the success of the ring down to Kate’s nature.

“It’s Kate’s quiet confidence to lead as a style icon that makes the ring so special. The spectacular central stone is a sapphire, framed by wonderful diamonds, as opposed to the more traditional diamond as centrepiece,” he explains. “Not only that but the colour blue is incredibly popular – it’s very versatile.”

The colour blue is often associated with loyalty as well as royalty, making it a fitting ring for a princess or any potential bride-to-be who wants to be treated like one. Of course, with a price tag that high, there wouldn’t be much money left for the wedding. Luckily, with lots of beautiful sapphire engagement rings on the market, such as Vashi’s diamond and blue sapphire ring in 9-carat white gold, obtaining a piece of the princess’ elegance is easily obtainable.

After all, it ticks off “something blue” off the wedding tradition list too.

Isabella Stockwell

To find out more about Vashi’s rings visit here.