Kate-Inspired Purchase Review: "Temple of Heaven" Repli-Kate Earrings

We're back after the New Year celebrations with a brand new replikate review post! As Kate's "Temple of Heaven" earrings by Cassandra Goad seemed to have a sort of revival in recent months (in July, the Duchess wore them twice in a matter of days, at an event at the Natural History Museum and at Wimbledon), I thought I'd share my experience with a repli-kate of this rather popular style!

The original Cassandra Goad earrings.

The original "Temple of Heaven" earrings as owned by Catherine are 9ct yellow gold girandole earrings with clip and post. From the Cassandra Goad website: "The Emperor of China was regarded as the son of Heaven, responsible to the celestial power for success or failure of his government. The Ming Dynasty built the Temple of Heaven in about 1530, and it was the detail of circles and squares that decorate the roof edge of the temple that inspired these earrings".

The Temple of Heaven in Beijing, the inspiration behind the design.

Rather pricey for 9ct gold, they currently start at £1,725 ($2,280/€1,910). A silver version is available for £495 ($705/€617), and there's also a gold version with pavé diamonds set in the central marquise element at £2,515 ($3,581/€3,138).

Kate has had these earrings since before her engagement. They made their first public appearance on 1 May 2010, when William and Catherine attended the wedding of their former St Andrews's flatmate Oli Baker to Mel Nicholson at St Salvator's Chapel in St Andrews, Scotland:

After a handful of appearances following the royal wedding (including at a reception at the British Consul General's residence in LA during the 2011 tour - below left - and at Zara Phillips's pre-wedding cocktail party on board the Royal Yacht Britannia in July 2011 - below right - when Kate wore them with the same DvF green dress), the earrings were last seen in public in November 2014 at a Place2Be awards ceremony at Kensington Palace.

However, we were in for a surprise during the Royal tour of India and Bhutan of April 2016, as Kate brought the "Temple of Heaven" earrings back from oblivion and wore them four times in the space of just a week. The earrings were not an obvious choice for a tour of India and Bhutan, as they have a strong connection with Chinese history and symbolism, but anyway, there they were!

They were worn at the pre-tour reception held at Kensington Palace on 6 April 2016:

Then upon arrival at the Taj Palace Hotel in Mumbai, India, on 10 April:

Then the following day for engagements in both Mumbai and New Delhi:

 

And most recently on 15 April for a reception celebrating Britain's relationship with Bhutan:

Anyway, back in June 2014 I ordered this gold vermeil repli-kate from Etsy shop Designs by Noa:

Photo via Designs by Noa on Etsy.

Described as "custom handmade replicas of Kate Middleton's Temple of Heaven earrings. They are being made in 18K vermeil with a sterling silver base". At the time of purchase three years ago, I paid $105 (or about £80/€90 at current exchange rates) plus tracked shipping for them, so I'd say these tend towards the pricier end of the costume jewellery scale.

They were not available to buy straight away, but after getting in touch with shop-owner Elise I was able to pre-order a pair in January 2014 and they were ready for shipping by early June, so I suggest contacting Elise directly if you're thinking of ordering a pair, as she may be able to make them for you even if they aren't listed on her page.

What drove me to this particular replikate, despite its price tag, was how true to the original the design is. While there are other cheaper replikates out there, usually the bits connecting the various elements are different from the originals. For comparison, below you can see side by side the Cassandra Goad ones (left) and the ones by Steel by Design on QVC (right, no longer available):

It's easy to notice that, while in the original ones by Cassandra Goad, the connecting elements are all external, leaving perfect round and marquise shapes, in most replikate ones (not just these by QVC) the main round and marquise elements are oddly elongated at the ends to allow for connection (shown below enlarged, again CG on the left, QVC replikate on the right):

Although I didn't take pictures of the earrings after receiving them, I was initially very pleased with them. Unfortunately, the gold plating wore off very quickly despite careful storage and care (I usually keep my costume jewellery in those small clear resealable plastic bags as it helps prevent oxidation).

Anyway, despite my best efforts the metal tarnished very quickly and scratches and hints of verdigris began to appear. Agh! That's sort of expected with cheaper jewellery, but I wasn't thrilled as these were $$$. This is how the earrings looked like in June 2017. Even from the pictures, you can clearly see the discoloured bits. Needless to say, by then the earrings were lurking at the back of my drawer feeling rather unloved:

However, it seemed a pity to not wear them any more, so in July last year I brought them to a local jewellery repair shop and had them re-plated. For a very reasonable €30 ($36/£27), the earrings got their shine back and are now in much better shape, although they still maintain a very slight coppery hue, which is sometimes typical of gold-plated jewellery. I've been able to start wearing them again, so all things considered I'm very happy with how they turned out!

So, on the whole, I'd definitely recommend these, as they're such an accurate replikate they could easily pass for the real thing and are a very wearable style. Be prepared to invest some money in refreshing the gold plating, though.

 

Kate Loves: Sapphires

When you mention sapphires, the one that comes instantly to mind (well, to the royal watcher's mind, at any rate!) is the iconic engagement ring that now sparkles on Catherine's hand, and that once belonged to her late mother-in-law Diana, Princess of Wales.

Feautring a 12ct oval blue Ceylon sapphire stone surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds and mounted in 18ct white gold, it was purchased in 1981 by the Prince of Wales at a cost of £28,000 (although reports differ, and some think it was in fact the Queen who footed the bill) and is now thought to be worth more than £300,000, due to its impressive royal legacy.
Diana's selection of this ring was unusual. It was neither custom-made nor a family heirloom and was, at the time of her engagement to Charles, featured in the jeweller's catalogue and available to anyone for purchase.

Jewellery historian Leslie Field, author of The Queen's Jewels, stated: "She [Diana] had obviously already said she would like a sapphire; she had half a dozen rings [to select from]  and she chose this one purely because she liked it. Somebody came up with the story that she immediately went for the biggest, but I asked her and she told me it definitely wasn't the biggest, she simply thought it was very beautiful".

It is a piece by Garrard & Co. Limited, Crown Jewellers from 1843 to 2007 and nowadays holders of a Royal Warrant for the Prince of Wales.

Garrard's connections with Royal Weddings dates way back to 1840, when Prince Albert commissioned the London firm to create a sapphire and diamond cluster brooch as a wedding gift to his future wife, Queen Victoria. The Queen was delighted with her present, and wore the brooch pinned to her wedding dress, as shown in this portrait by Winterhalter:

Incidentally, sapphires seem to be a rather popular choice with British royal brides: besides Princess Diana, the Queen Mother also had a sapphire engagement ring (although she switched to a pearl and diamond one in later years), as did Princess Anne, who received sapphire and diamond engagement rings from both Mark Phillips (below left) and Timothy Laurence (right):

Following the death of Princess Diana, her sons selected mementoes from their late mother's possessions. It was widely reported in the press that Harry chose the engagement ring, while William opted for Diana's yellow gold Cartier watch. Eventually the brothers swapped mementoes and in October 2010 William took the priceless ring with him to Kenya, ready to pop the question.

didn't really plan it that far in advance, like I just knew I wanted it to feel comfortable where I did it and I wanted it to mean something, other than just the act of getting engaged. She understands what it means to me being in Africa, and my love of conservation
Read more at http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/celebrity/544296/prince-william-talks-kate-middleton-proposal-in-new-documentary.html#pqpifKP0pULErs8h.99

One imagines he carried a similar box in his rucksack:

I didn't really plan it that far in advance, like I just knew I wanted it to feel comfortable where I did it and I wanted it to mean something, other than just the act of getting engaged. She understands what it means to me being in Africa, and my love of conservation.
Read more at http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/celebrity/544296/prince-william-talks-kate-middleton-proposal-in-new-documentary.html#pqpifKP0pULErs8h.99

The ring was reportedly resized just before the wedding by Crown jewellers G. Collins & Sons with the addition of two tiny platinum beads to the inside, to make it a UK size I (US size 4 3/4).

During the enagement interview, Prince William talked briefly about the ring and said: "It is very special to me. It was my way of making sure my mother didn't miss out on today and the excitement, and the fact we are going to spend the rest of our lives together", while Catherine said: "It's beautiful. I just hope to look after it. It's very, very special".

And of course she was right. As far as engagement rings go, I don't think it gets any more iconic than this!

The style is, unsurprisingly, very widely replikated! By far the best one I've come across so far (and, believe me, I've looked!) is this one from Aliexpress. A bit pricey, but gets discounted quite frequently, so check back if you're interested - I recommend waiting for Chinese New Year at the end of January if you'd like to order, as Aliexpress sellers usually have big promotions going on. Even at full retail price, I'd say it's worth every penny.

Slightly smaller than Kate's ring (the 'sapphire is approx. 9 x 7 mm), which makes it a more believable size even for us mere commoners, it features 14 clear crystals surrounding the central stone, the same number as the original. I've had it for about 18 months and the metal is still in absolutely perfect condition and has not tarnished at all, even with frequent wears, so definitely a recommended purchase!

I also have the platinum-plated "Regal" ring from Marks & Spencer. This particular style is sold out now, but very similar rings remain available.

I wouldn't recommend them, though, based on my experience with the "Regal" (shown below left in both pictures): the metal has tarnished quite visibly and the crystal is a very dark midnight blue with not much sparkle to it. It's also visibly rounder than its Aliexpress counterpart.

For the engagement press conference, Kate paired the ring with subtle sapphire jewellery: a necklace and earring set of sapphires, diamonds and 18ct yellow gold, part of the Cabochon by the Yard collection by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. The exact style Kate wears is now discontinued:



While the necklace has only made that single appearance so far, the earrings have been worn on a number of other occasions (what's even better, you can now grab yourself a replikate in my Etsy shop! 😀):

Currently in Catherine's jewellery box is another pair of sapphire earrings, which are thought to be a modified version of a pair owned by Diana, Princess of Wales.

Diana had some fabulous sapphires in her personal collection, including a stunning Asprey parure which was a wedding present from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia:

The Princess wore the necklace and earrings quite frequently in the early years of her marriage, and occasionally the bracelet, but had the ring and watch remodeled and used the stones to create new pieces, including a pair of double-drop sapphire and diamond cluster earrings (shown below right. Note that the stone from the ring was reset as the centrepiece of a new choker):

 

Diana, however, also had another pair of very similar double-drop earrings, which are thought to be the ones remodeled for Kate. According to Leslie Field, these are different from the single-cluster and double-cluster earrings which were created from the strap of the Saudi gift watch. In this earrings, the top sapphire is surrounded by 8 diamonds and the bottom sapphire is surrounded by 9 diamonds, with a single brilliant-cut diamond connecting clusters. These sapphires are cabochons, not faceted stones:

Catherine first wore her sapphire and diamond earrings to a service of thanksgiving for Prince Philip's 90th birthday in June 2011:

Her pair features a cabochon sapphire surrounded by a cluster of nine diamonds and suspended from a single diamond on top. The editor at Diana's Jewels notices "that there are extra prongs around the sapphire to match the prongs on her engagement ring.  The one on Diana's only has four visible prongs".
Since their first appearance, the earrings have been worn at numerous occasions throughout the years:

Worn only once so far is a glamorous pair of sapphire and diamond fringe earrings which belonged to the Queen Mother and was loaned to Kate for an appearance at the 100 Women in Hedge Funds gala at the Victoria & Albert Museum in October 2015:

The Queen's Jewel Vault has a bit more info on this piece, although not much is known about the history and provenance of this earrings.

Of course we can look forward to Kate wearing many more stunning sapphire pieces over the years to come, there's no shortage of them in the royal vaults, as illustrated below by the Queen wearing three different sets - and while there's only one sapphire tiara currently in use, there are many more earrings, bracelets and brooches to chose from!

The Duchess Dictionary: Asprey

Founded in 1781, Asprey has a long and established relationship with British royalty dating back to the 1800s when Queen Victoria awarded the first Royal Warrant for dressing cases, travelling bags, and writing cases.
Since then, Asprey has held a Royal Warrant for every British monarch and several other foreign heads of state. Today, Asprey continues to hold a Royal Warrant for the Prince of Wales.

The Duchess of Cambridge has been photographed wearing a few Asprey pieces over the years, starting from well before her engagement, when she wore the "167 Button" pendant to the Boodles Boxing Ball at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on 3 June 2006.

The "167 Button" pendant is a pavé diamond button with a central amethyst stone, in 18ct white gold suspended from an 18ct white gold chain. The pendant has a diameter of 14mm / 0.6", while the chain is 45.7cm /18" long and is priced at £3,150/$4,250. The purple amethyst is a nod to the firm's signature colour - all Asprey purchases are wrapped in signature Asprey purple packaging and tied with purple ribbon:

The design is inspired by the buttons employed in traditional English tailoring, and the number 167 references the brand's prestigious Mayfair premises, at 167 New Bond Street.



The Duchess has selected the "167 Button" pendant for many significant occasions: she wore it on 23 October 2010, just prior to the official announcement of her engagement, to the wedding of Harry Meade and Rosie Bradford in Gloucestershire (below left); it travelled with her on her first overseas tour, where it made a high-profile appearance on Canada Day on 1 July 2011 (below right):

  

Other significant appearances of the pendant include the Duchess's first solo engagement at the opening of a Lucian Freud exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London on 8 February 2012 (below left), then at her first official engagement since the announcement of her pregnancy with Prince George, again at the National Portrait Gallery for the unveiling of her first official portrait on 11 January 2013 (below right):

 *          *         *

Another well-loved Asprey piece in the royal jewellery box, albeit a much more recent acquisition, is the Woodland Charm necklace. The charms, part of Asprey's Woodland Collection, which takes inspiration from the "myriad wonders of Britain’s woodlands", are designed by Shaun Leane and realised in 18ct yellow gold, diamond and enamel, with prices starting at £2,050/$2,800 for the Oak Leaf charm, one of those in the Duchess's necklace (the others are the Acorn charm, priced at £3,050/$4,150) and Mushroom charm for £4,100/$5,550):

The necklace made its first appearance on Easter Sunday 2014, while on a visit to Taronga Zoo in Sydney, as part of the royal tour of Australia and New Zealand, and the Duchess has worn it a number of times since, including on her subsequent visit to the National Indigenous Training Academy at Uluru (shown below):

The acorn and oak leaf charm are most probably a subtle reference to the Duchess's own coat of arms, which features three acorns with leaves to represent the three Middleton children:

Incidentally, if you love this necklace as much as I do and are after a great repli-kate, you might want to consider the one by The Looking Glass Shop on Etsy; you can read my review here.

 *          *         *

Debate is still very much open on whether the unidentified diamond and gemstone earrings Catherine debuted in Singapore at a reception at Eden Hall on 12 September 2012, are indeed by Asprey.

Below, she is seen wearing them at a tea party at the British High Commissioner residence in Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia, later in the tour:

The earrings feature a medium-sized oval pale blue gemstone (aquamarine?), surrounded by pavé diamonds and hanging from a row of five bezel-set brilliants.

My Small Obsessions has a series of close-ups on her Facebook page.

Asprey does have rather distinctive, although not exclusive, ear posts (shown below on a different style for comparison), that seem to match the ones in Catherine's earrings, but the uncertainty remains:

By far the most striking piece of Asprey jewellery ever worn by Catherine, however, is the instantly recognizable Canadian Maple Leaf brooch:

In the form of a leaf of the Candian Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), the national emblem of Canada, it was given to Queen Elizabeth by King George VI, to mark the State Visit to Canada in 1939. It was first seen on the Queen's lapel during the Atlantic crossing in the liner Empress of Australia, and appeared on many occasion throughout the tour and thereafter (shown below left in Vancouver in 1958, and in 2000, worn to receive the insignia of the Order of Canada at Buckingham Palace), sometimes worn as a hat-badge.

 

The Queen loaned it to Princess Elizabeth for her first visit to Canada in 1951. 

The Queen inherited it upon her mother's death in 2002, and in turn has since loaned it to the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge for her first visit to Canada with the Duke in July 2011. 

 

The Queen in Ottawa for the Canada Day celebrations in 2010 and the Duchess of Cornwall attending Remebrance Day events at the National War Memorial in Ottawa in November 2009.

I think we can safely expect it to make a reappearance on the autumn 2016 tour, although this is not the only brooch with a Canadian connection in the Queen's jewelry box (or, indeed, the only maple leaf brooch!), so we'll just have to wait and see!

 The Duchess of Cambridge wore the brooch three times during the 2011 tour.

The brooch measures 5.5 x 5 cm and is made of platinum set with baguette and brilliant-cut diamonds.  According to Hugh Roberts, author of the definitive The Queen's Diamonds, who examined the King's Privy Purse accounts, the brooch cost £300 5s and was purchased on 29 April 1939, just before the couple's departure.

Looking for a replikate? This one on Etsy is slightly smaller than the original but very pretty. Alternatively, I'm holding out for the Royal Collection to come up with a replica - they currently have around 10 replicas of the Queen's brooches available for sale, including the New Zealand Silver Fern as seen on Catherine, and I suppose they might think a Maple Leaf would prove popular ;-)