Kate's ring sparks demand for lookalikes

Anthea's Antiques has a ring similar to the late Princess Diana's. Photo / Herald on Sunday

The famous ring on the hand of royal-bride-to-be Kate Middleton has sparked a flurry of interest in similar rings here, say jewellers.

Prince William last week revealed how he had given his fiancée the ring once worn by his mother, Princess Diana. The sapphire-and-diamond heirloom features a massive 18-carat oval-cut sapphire, surrounded by white, round-cut diamonds in a gold band.

Within hours of the royal engagement announcement, Auckland jewellery stores began seeing an interest in lookalike rings.

"There's been a lot of talk about them already," said Anthea's Antiques owner Murray Smith.

Almost all the engagement rings the company sold were diamond, but he hoped the royal connection would see a return to the "more traditional" ruby and sapphire.

An "identical" but bigger version of the 18-carat ring is for sale at Anthea's for $80,000. Smaller versions of sapphire and diamond cluster rings sold upwards of $5000 at the store.

Bilkey & Co owner Lyn Bilkey said the announcement had "created a lot of interest".

"The contrast of the beautiful blue and diamond is really nice."

Walker and Hall manager David Osborne also expected the royal ring to spark a trend.

"I'm sure it will - people definitely do take an interest in that and it's had a lot of coverage on the news," he said.

The store had already received an inquiry from a customer about a ring similar to Kate Middleton's, he said.