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.

 

Going to Great Lenghts to Obtain a RepliKate You Love

I'm sure it has happened to most of us replikaters to set our hearts on that particular item you just have to have! And since the early days of the Kate-mania, when replikates didn't sell out quite so fast and you could even get some great bargains, are long gone (heck, I got my Natalie clutch in the L.K. Bennett end of season sale months after Kate was first photographed carrying it. Current favourite Nina didn't make the winter sale but remains available at full price), nowadays a bit more sleuthing is usually required.

That's just what I set out to do when the Duchess was photographed going to church on the second Sunday of the year in a new piece by L.K. Bennett.

Twitter was awash with suggestions on Sunday afternoon as to which style exactly she was wearing, as there were several in the same print:

The main contenders were the "Sammi" blue silk scarf, which you can see in the tweet above, and the "Cami" printed bow blouse, although there were also a dress and even a skirt in the same print.

A close-up of the print:

Both the scarf and the shirt are 100% silk chiffon (the blouse, being very lightweight, is doubled at the front for modesty, which I've tried to show in the photo below). The print is described on the L.K. Bennett website as "a delicate dot print in hothouse hues", with a "seventies appeal that nods to AW16's retro revival".

This shows how sheer the back is. It's single-layer, as are the sleeves:

I thought the blouse would tie in very well with my existing working wardrobe, so set off looking for one in my size. I knew it wouldn't be easy as both the scarf and the blouse were sale items, already sold out online at L.K. Bennett when the IDs were confirmed.

After much messaging to and fro with some friends in the Kate community, I was able to locate one at Irish retailer Brown Thomas (remains available in UK size 16 at time of writing). The catch? Their shipping options are limited to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. With no way of having one forwarded to Italy, I continued with my search. 

I went over the list of L.K. Bennett European stockists with a fine tooth comb until I finally got lucky at Dutch department store de Bijenkorf. After all, what's the minor inconvenience of shopping at a Dutch-language-only website compared to getting the replikate item you're lusting after? Reduced from €235 to €115, there was just one remaining in my size (it remains available in EU size 38, equivalent to a UK 10), so I hurried to snap it up. De Bijenkorf is a chain of high-end department stores belonging to the same group that owns Selfridges and Brown Thomas, but they only offer shipping within the Netherlands and Belgium.

So, what's the resourceful replikater gotta do? Sign up for an account at FedEx Border Crossing, of course! It's one of very few parcel forwarding services that will provide you with a Belgian shipping address (this sort of service is usually limited to the US and UK, with few exceptions). By the way, a word of warning: I found the customer service at FedEx in this instance jokingly inefficient, although the actual shipping and delivery were fairly straightforward (took 3 working days from Belgium to Italy), with prices in line with companies that provide similar services (i.e.: not cheap! Shipping for the shirt was just under €50. I do wish stores would just provide worldwide shipping as standard, and we could get rid of the middleman!).

My experience at de Bijenkorf, on the other end, was superb: ordering was easy despite the language barrier and the shirt, shipped on Tuesday late evening, was delivered to my Brussels mailbox the following morning by 12 noon.

The blouse has branded mother of pearl buttons at the cuffs:

As you can see from the close-up, the fabric weave is quite visible, much like that of the "Addison" dress by the same brand. A label attached to the blouse explains that the garment has been digitally printed, "a process that involves the deposit of a pigment or dye onto the surface of the fabric". This makes the blouse rather delicate, as the yarns are liable to twist, showing the paler, non-dyed reverse, something that wouldn't happen with yarn-dyed fabrics. Again, it's the same technique used for the "Addison" dress.

Having seen the blouse in person, I'll admit I'm still very much on the fence as to whether Kate owns this or the scarf. Ultimately, after much comparing, I think she has the blouse: in real life the ties are very long, making the bow is very floppy when just hanging down, whereas in some of the pictures she seems to be wearing something that has quite a bit of volume to it. Then I came across this photo on WKW, and from that angle it looks decidedly like she's wearing the blouse, maybe with the bow tied double for added oomph. My conclusion is that the extra volume is probably due to the wind catching the bow, although we won't know for sure until she wears the garment again, which she hopefully will do in the future!

However, last night I came across an interesting viewpoint on Instagram: user sanddunesandpinetrees has come to the conclusion that Kate was wearing both items to church, and was photographed first without the scarf, then with it. I must say this latest theory would provide a very neat explanation for the visible differences in the pictures, so I like to think it may be correct!

So, what's your opinion on the matter? Do you think Kate has the scarf or the blouse, or indeed both? Did you get to buy either of them for your replikate collection?

Kate-Inspired Purchase Review: "Lauren" Pavé Leaf Earrings Replikate

The time just after Christmas and into January always tends to be very slow on the royal news front, so it seems like the perfect chance to indulge in a spot of replikating!
Today I bring you a new replikate review. This time we'll look at a replikate of the Kiki McDonough "Lauren" yellow gold pave diamond leaf earrings. The "Lauren" collection is inspired and dedicated to British ballerina Lauren Cuthbertson, a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London.

My replikate earrings come from The Looking Glass Shop on Etsy, they're the Kate Middleton Inspired Pave Leaf Earrings:

My readers will be familiar with the shop, as over time I've reviewed several of their pieces here on the blog, you can find more details on my Replikate Reviews page.

The Duchess debuted her Kiki earrings on 10 October 2015, when attending an engagement on World Mental Health Day on behalf of a charity she's closely involved with, Mind:

She's worn them several times since, most recently when she visited the Natural History Museum on 22 November 2016 on an engagement on behalf of another of her charities, Place2Be:

The original Kiki earrings are available in two sizes, regular, which measure 20 mm in lenght and 9 mm in width and retail for £2,200:

...and large, measuring 28 and 15 mm respectively and retailing for £3,900. Both are made of 18ct yellow gold and pavé-set diamonds:

While I'm aware that the general consesus seems to be that Kate owns the regualar size, I'm more inclined to think she has, in fact, the larger ones, as they're quite noticable in pictures from her various engagements, and it seems unlikely they could be the smaller ones, as they're tiny.

Having a look at this close-up on What Kate Wore, it does seem to me that the number of diamonds more closely matches the larger size earrings.

Still, Anna from My Small Obsessions maintains that she indeeed wears the regular size, and she's way savvier than me on things jewellery-related, so let's just say the doubt remains! 

There are a few replikates of this style out there, but most seem to feature a more decidedly heart-shaped pendant as opposed to leaf-shaped, so I was rather pleased to discover The Looking Glass Shop had come out with a decidedly leaf-y version. Even better, priced at $36 plus shipping, these, while not the cheaper out there, won't break the bank.
Shipping and handling times were perfectly reasonable, meaning my earrings, ordered on 5 December, arrived in plenty of time for Christmas. They came packaged in a no-frill recycled cardoboard box, as is typical for purchases from The Looking Glass.
So, on to the lowdown...upon first opening the box I really must admit I was significantly underwhelmed. The earrings are tiny! They seem to be a strange hybrid of the two sizes available at Kiki, measuring 23 mm in lenght, so somewhat in between the two, but with a leaf pendant just 9 mm wide as the smaller ones.

The listing at The Looking Glass Shop states that: "they feature 2 beautiful leaf charms with pave-set cubic zirconia stones. separated by 3 baguette stones. Small and delicate, they measure just under 1 inch in length and have nickle-free posts". I imagine the "3 baguette stones" is a copy and paste fail, as there are no such stones in this style, but there are in these earrings, also for sale in the same shop.
They are made of gold-plated brass, as per listing, and indeed the ear posts are hallmarked, as shown below, so should be suitable even if you have sensitive earlobes:

I was really disappointed in these, unfortunately. While they look to be well-made, and I've never been disappointed in the overall quality from The Looking Glass Shop, so I'm confident these too will last, the ear posts look extremely delicate, measuring just under 2 mm at the widest point on top, and will require careful attention when putting on or taking off.

The leaf pendant really is minuscle: I have long hair and the earrings practically disappear when I wear it down. I'd need to have my hair up for them to be visible. Measurements are comparable to the "Athena" earrings by Azuni London, also worn by Kate - I've included a side by side photo of the two so you get a better idea:

The crystals are beautiful, and the pavé setting seems to be of good quality, but the earrings are too small for my taste and, as I said, the ear posts seem very delicate. Personally, I think it would have been better if the width had also been stated on the listing, instead of just the lenght, to give a better idea.
Overall, I'd give them a 3 out of 5 and wouldn't recommend them, except if you prefer smaller earrings.

Kate-Inspired Purchase Review: Soru Jewellery Baroque Pearl Earrings

There was quite a buzz when the Duchess of Cambridge stepped out for an Art Fund gala dinner at the Natural History Museum on 6 July 2016 in a new pair of earrings - as she usually favours smaller, more delicate style, it was a nice surprise to see her experimenting with something bolder (particularly as I'm quite the magpie and prefer to replikate her bigger styles as they suit me best!).

The earrings didn't remain unidentified for long, luckily, as Kate wore them again the following day, when she watched the Ladies' Single semi-finals at Wimbledon and this time we were able to get much clearer, higher-definition shots:

 

It turned out that the earrings are the Baroque Pearl Double Sided Earrings in Gold, by Anglo-Italian duo Soru Jewellery:

 

Hand-crafted with iridescent baroque pearls edged with multi-faceted Swarovski crystals, the earrings are made 18ct yellow gold vermeil on sterling silver. They're part of Soru's A/W 16 collection and are priced at £130.

 

There was a bit of confusion to start with as to exactly which style the Duchess was wearing, with Soru Jewellery initially claiming it was the rounder, non-double-sided, current season Baroque Pearl Earrings in Gold:

 

 

Soru, which aptly means "sisters" in Sicilian, was founded in 2013 by Sicilian-British sisters Marianna and Francesca, who were inspired by their summers spent in Sicily and the way in which the Sicilian women adorned themselves with jewellery. The brand had a well-established celebrity status even before the Duchess of Cambridge wore one of their pieces, having been worn by the likes of Rita Ora, Georgia-May Jagger, Millie Mackintosh and Rosie Fortescue.

I'll admit, being Italian myself, I was immediately intrigued by the Italian heritage of the brand. The very name Soru for me evoked a whole imagery of Dolce & Gabbana citrus-print scarves, summer holidays spent island-hopping in the Aegadian Islands, fluffy cannoli and piles of Inspector Montalbano novels. Clichéd? Maybe, but having read here, I don't think I'm too far off the spirit of the brand!

 

Plus, my name is Marianna, as one half of the Soru duo, so that was the tipping point really, I had to have a pair of their earrings! :)

I didn't wait for the actual pair worn by Kate to be available, and ordered straight away the smaller Baroque Pearl Earrings. Although I toyed briefly with the idea of cancelling my order when the ID mistery was cleared, I elected to just keep to my original choice as I actually like the 'chubbier' Baroque Pearl Earrings best.
 

The only difference with Kate's is the style of the pearl, which is more elongated and, of course, double-sided in the new season version.
Apart from that, the earrings are both priced at £130 (approximately €152 / $168, although exchange rates fluctuate a lot these days). You get 10% off your first purchase if you subscribe to their newsletter, plus orders over £100 qualify for free international shipping with Royal Mail, bringing the price down to £117 (€137 / $151).
Both styles are now sold out (the Kate effect!), but expected back in stock soon.

You can get on a waiting list for them, by emailing either Soru or their London stockist Baar & Bass:

The ordering process was pleasantly straightforward - Soru Jewellery certainly didn't seem overwhelmed by the 'Kate-effect', as happens to some brands, and that was reassuring! I ordered the earrings on Thursday afternoon, straight after they were identified, and they shipped on Friday.
I received my Soru parcel on the following Thursday.
The earrings came in a lizard-embossed black and gold box tied with personalized ribbon. A handwritten note was included, which was a lovely touch:

The earrings were stored in a black velvet pouch with the Soru logo embossed in gold. Now on to measures, since I couldn't find them anywhere on the Soru website - the shorter style I ordered is approximately 4.2 cm long and 2.2 cm at its widest point. The round ear post is 0.9 cm in diameter.

While Kate's feature double-sided baroque pearls, mine have a plain back in hammered gold vermail, featuring the name Soru rather prominently and stamped with the 925 silver hallmark:

A brief note on pearl was included.

And how they look tried on:

 

Overall, they have a pleasantly solid, well-made finish (the crystals don't look like they're about to fall off, which is sometimes a concern with cheaper jewellery and would be disastrous here as there are so many), they sparkle beautifully (the photos don't do them justice at all) and the pearls have great lustre. I can see myself wearing them a lot! Has anyone pre-ordered the ones Kate actually wore? If so, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts when you receive them!