In October 2010 Prince William and Catherine Middleton became the talk of the world when, after 8 years of dating, Will finally popped the big question! In a romantic little cabin in Kenya, hidden away 10,500ft in the mountains, the future King of England proposed to his bride.
Prince William presented Kate with his late Mother’s engagement ring. A huge 18 carat sapphire and diamond ring. The stunning 12 carat oval sapphire, surrounded by 14 dazzling diamonds totalling a whopping 6 carats, was picked out by Lady Diana Spencer as her own engagement ring in 1981, following Prince Charles’s proposal. The Ceylon Sapphire and solitaire diamonds are set in 18 carat white gold.
Following Diana’s death in 1997 the ring was locked in a secure safe to which only Prince William and his younger brother, Prince Harry, had access.
It was reported that Diana’s choice of engagement ring caused quite a stir among the Royals. Disparaging remarks were made, as her ring of choice was not bespoke and could, as a result, be bought by anyone that had the funds available. Not having a ring custom made was frowned upon. Reports of the original cost of the ring vary, but most agreed it cost between £28,000 and £30,000 at the time, a price tag not to be scoffed at!
Shortly after Will and Kate’s engagement was announced, jewellers reported sky rocketing sales of sapphire rings and unprecedented volumes of enquiries for replicas of Kate’s ring.
Just 6 months later and the couple were to be wed in what can only be described as the wedding of the century. An estimated 2 billion people tuned in to watch the ceremony, although it is impossible to say how many viewed online. More than 684,000 Facebook statuses were posted mentioning the Royal Wedding during the 4 hour period, averaging at 47 per second!
Today the sapphire and diamonds in Kate’s ring would set you back around £85,000 – But a ring with such sentimental value, that was worn by Lady Di, one of the most adored women in the world, and now Kate Middleton is virtually priceless. I just hope she has it insured!
If you have recently become engaged and want to protect your engagement ring, Assetsure have a policy that can provide you with wide cover, we can provide engagement ring insurance as well as single item jewellery insurance and will be pleased to receive your enquiry.
