It’s very touching to see a piece of jewelry reused and passed along to another generation. Prince William’s decision to propose to Kate Middleton with his mother’s ring was very appropriate and moving to many who loved his mother. Many men would have chosen to change the setting or made the ring new in some way to make thee piece about the new future the groom will share with his bride. While I usually really like the idea of some change or just using the stones in another setting, with such an iconic ring or a ring that has unique workmanship, it would be a shame to change anything. It will be interesting to see what they choose for the wedding band. We have many women who come in with oval-shaped engagement rings and it’s always hard to find a band style they like that will also sit under the engagement ring. I say that they should get the band that they like and wear it on the opposite hand or wear it solo on the left hand without the engagement ring. With approximately 25 Total Carat Weight in her ring, the modern Kate Middleton may want to give her finger a break sometimes.

I have always loved ‘used’ jewelry or estate jewelry. Jewelry is usually given on a joyous occasion and while some may be resold because of a divorce or death, I choose to think about the positive energy that the pieces possessed when they were purchased out of love. Many of these pieces are also made by hand (if you go to a big store to buy your jewelry, this is usually not the case) and even using methods or stone cuts not used today. While Kate Middleton’s ring is not an estate piece, it’s a fine piece of jewelry from the 1980s with a 18 CT Sapphire center. The 14 surrounding diamonds are probably .50 CT each. There’s no getting around that it’s an impressive ring made by Royal Jeweler, Garrard Jewellry.

I am sure that this will be a very popular style moving forward…I have read that the orders have already started to come in and many jewelers are creating replicas. Obviously, there will be people who will miss the point by buying a copy, but there will be many who will find their own family treasures to reuse or pick jewelry from a local artisan that perhaps holds a little more meaning. Speaking of Estate jewelry and classic workmanship, Stay tuned for a picture of my latest purchase, a Victorian Slide bracelet.