The craze over the upcoming royal wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton, which is approaching fever pitch as the April 29 date approaches, has sparked imitations of the bride-to-be's clothes, hair, and most of all her engagement ring.
William presented Kate with his mother, the late Princess Diana's, engagement ring – an 18-carat sapphire surrounded by diamonds.
Jewelers around the world have been turning out replica rings since the engagement was announced in November. Versions range from the inexpensive, such as the rings supplied by Emitations.com, a site dedicated to making affordable editions of celebrity jewelry. Emitations founder and CEO Au-Co Mai said that the company has sold hundreds of Kate Middleton-inspired rings, and the firm recently launched a Kate fan site (Katemiddletonring.com) devoted to all things Catherine, including Emitations' line of Kate-inspired jewelry. Emitations is holding a sweepstakes for a full Kate Middleton jewelry set.
Boston jeweler E.B. Horn is also holding a royal wedding ring contest. The jewelers have created a replica ring – an oval-shaped sapphire surrounded by 14 diamonds worth $10,000. "It's a very, very close proximity. Princess Di's ring might be a little bit bigger," said Horn's Michael Finn.
E.B. Horn is raffling off the ring for the Boston couple voted "most royal." Competing couples must submit three photos and a version of their own love story. Finalists will be named on April 24, and the winners will be announced the night before the royal wedding.
But the replica royal ring that rules them all is the latest creation from the New York-based Natural Sapphire Company, which has crafted a ring from a 69.35-carat sapphire surrounded by 16 0.5-carat flawless diamonds. Natural Sapphire Company President Michael Arnstein called the ring "a jewel fit for a queen" – and it's priced to match, available for purchase for $1.5 million.
The Natural Sapphire Company has also created less expensive versions that range in price from $10,000 to $100,000.
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