Royal Wedding strikes gold for Christopher James

The Royal Wedding has struck gold for Cavern Walks jeweller Christopher James as sales of sapphire and diamond rings soar by 300% in the wake of Kate and William’s engagement last year.

The Jewellers, who sell unique pieces of bespoke jewellery using gemstones, sourced and hand selected from all over the world, have had a large number of requests for blue sapphire rings similar to that worn by Kate Middleton. Kate’s engagement ring, originally owned by Princess Diana, has an 18-carat blue oval sapphire surrounded by a circle of diamonds.

Owner Christopher James said: “Kate Middleton has certainly set a trend and in the months following the engagement we were inundated with orders for similar rings. Essentially she’s a walking, talking advertisement for the sapphire and diamond ring. We’ve been in Cavern Walks for over 25 years and have never seen so much interest in coloured stones. It’s very exciting.”

Whilst Kate’s ring is estimated to be worth around £300,000, Christopher James’ replica rings retail at an average of £3,500 and are tailored to individual customer specifications, although some bespoke designs have cost up to £10,000.

Christopher continued: “We estimate that a third of our revenue since November can be attributed to the Royal Wedding in sales and orders. The iconic pictures of Kate and William at St James’ Palace have been beamed all over the world and the ring takes centre stage. We expect the trend for coloured stones in engagement rings to continue well after the Royal Wedding.”

The Christopher James jewellery collection is available at Christopher James in Cavern Walks.