When it comes to announcements, they don’t get bigger than that of a royal engagement. The outright frenzy that inevitably ensues most recently erupted when Prince Harry got down on one knee to Meghan Markle. But for some, the impact of that excitement will last a lifetime as brides-to-be whipped up in dreams of princesses choose lookalike engagement rings.

“We probably get more enquiries about that than anything else,” says Garrard senior marketing executive Madeline David of what is perhaps the world’s most famous engagement ring, the Ceylon blue sapphire and diamond cluster worn by the Duchess of Cambridge. The ring was originally made by Garrard for Prince Charles to present to Princess Diana when he proposed in 1981, passing down the family line to Kate Middleton when Prince William popped the question, but David says that the origins of the design go much farther back in history.

“People come in and ask for the Kate ring, but we say that we don’t do the exact thing, it’s just the most modern interpretation. It was chosen by Charles and Diana but it’s a classic Garrard design that started when Prince Albert worked with Garrard to commission the sapphire cluster brooch that he gave to Queen Victoria on the day before her wedding day as her something blue. So it’s not Kate’s ring or Diana’s ring, it’s actually Victoria’s brooch.”

The Kate ring

Regardless of its history – though illumination on this point only ups the fever pitch for buyers at Garrard, says David – the ring has caused a global phenomenon both times it has been slipped on a royal-to-be finger. Jewellers working in the 1980s recall a boom in sales of sapphire cluster rings, and this was repeated in 2010 with Kate and Wills’ engagement.

Just six months after Clarence House sent a Tweet confirming the engagement that would change what a new generation considered acceptable as an engagement ring, the Centre for Retail Research estimated that the market for replica Kate rings was worth £10 million.

And it wasn’t just the upper crust suddenly romanced by sapphire clusters. Sales of sapphire rings at high street jeweller H Samuel rocketed 55% on the week of the engagement. Clogau Gold, a brand that uses the same Welsh gold as all royal wedding rings are made from, took to QVC with replicas. “The brief from the buyers was very clear – everyone wanted to replicate the exact style,” says head of brand development Sonia Menezes. A novelty jewellery charm fashioned in the same style as the sapphire ring remains one of Clogau Gold’s best sellers in the Historic Royal Palaces stores at locations like the Tower of London and Kensington Palace; it is particularly popular with tourists from the US, China and Japan.

Making colour acceptable 

“The British royals have made coloured engagement rings acceptable,” says Eddie Levian, chief executive of diamond jeweller Le Vian, which is planning to release a collection of Royalty engagement rings to coincide with this year’s royal wedding. As well as those now classic blue sapphires, it will also include Trilogy diamond rings (the three stones symbolise past, present and future) in honour of Meghan Markle and rings set with Padparadscha sapphires, the soft pinkish stone now resting on the third finger of Princess Eugenie’s left hand.

Bucherer, a Swiss jeweller that has recently opened a boutique in Selfridge’s Wonder Room, is also hopping on the hype. It’s Trilogy set of engagement rings on display there play on the theme of Markle’s ring, but tweak the design by changing the central stone for alternative diamond cuts like pears, emeralds and round brilliants.

Markle’s actual ring was made by London jeweller Cleave and Company, which has since vowed never to make a replica in anticipation of the copycat commission requests that must surely have flooded in after its exposure as the architect. Meghan’s ring itself is a classic design, with a larger central diamond flanked by two smaller stones, set in yellow gold. However, this simple construction belies a deeply personal story. The two smaller diamonds were lifted from a tiara belonging to Prince Harry’s mother “to make sure that she’s with us on this” as the Prince so sweetly described it, while the central stone was sourced by the proposer himself from a diamond mine in Botswana. Prince Harry also worked with Cleave and Company to influence the final design of the ring.

Designed with love

“Meghan’s ring is a beautiful love story in itself,” says Mita Vohra, creative director of fine jewellery brand Ortae, which carries similar styles. “The depth and thought in it will, I believe, trigger a more meaningful bespoke order trend for us, as well as a trend for three-stone mixed-cut rings.”

Prince Harry’s bespoke approach to design will inevitably have an impact on prospective fiancés, perhaps encouraging more men – or women – to get involved in the design process rather than just buying off the shelf. This is something jewellers like Vashi, whose Mayfair shop has windows decorated with slogans such as ‘I made this for you’, is counting on.

Round the corner on New Bond Street, Chaumet is rolling out a new bespoke engagement ring concept timed to launch with the wedding called Crown Your Love that will eradicate surprise proposals (and sinking hearts on the opening of boxes) in favour of a collaborative experience. The process will involve couples first choosing a style of engagement ring, followed by a cut of diamond for the central stone and its carat weight. The rings will then be made to order especially for the couple; though should a gentleman feel truly confident in his abilities, this could also be a fun solo shopping trip.

Of course it’s not just engagement rings that are obsessed over during the rigmarole of a royal engagement and wedding; everything is scrutinised. The pair of yellow gold and opal stud earrings worn by Markle during the announcement and made by Canadian jeweller Birks, which is sold at Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths stores, sold out within hours, with traffic to the earrings section of the brand’s website quadrupling that day. There was a similar frenzy to own the Links of London white topaz earrings worn by Kate Middleton for her official engagement photo in 2010.

As to why we remain so obsessed with royals and their jewels, despite a wealth of more accessible celebrities ready to show us their engagement rings in a flash on Instagram, the truth is that there remains a lingering princess dream locked deep within most of us, which is probably why the most-popular item at Garrard for brides to be after the Kate ring, is a sparkling diamond tiara.