Design Story: My Kate Middleton moment
Reflections on my contribution to ‘Engagement’ by Jennifer Rubell (2011) - an interactive sculpture inspired by the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
‘Prince William’ and me at the opening night in the Stephen Friedman Gallery
Like so many, American artist Jennifer Rubell was captivated by the idea of Kate - a ‘commoner’ - marrying a prince. What would it feel like to be in Kate’s shoes she wondered?! She was inspired to create a life size wax sculpture of William, poised like he was in the official engagement photos, that allowed people to link arms with ‘the prince’ and slip their finger into the engagement ring which was attached to William’s arm.
The plan was to have five sculptures which would appear all over the world and would allow women (or men) everywhere to ‘step into Kate’s shoes’.
I was approached by the Stephen Friedman Gallery in London, who were supporting Jennifer Rubell to create her interactive piece. They commissioned renowned french sculptor Daniel Druet to make the life size statue and me to make replicas of the sapphire and diamond cluster engagement ring.
Design process
Replica of Kate Middleton’s engagement ring - synthetic blue sapphire, cubic zirconia & 9ct gold
First I studied the original ring design noting that it features 14 round diamonds surrounding the sapphire. Then I had to work out the right size of oval sapphire to allow 14 gems to sit neatly around it and make sure they sat together with the same look and dimensions as the original.
Next I had to decide on the materials. The original ring was made in 18ct gold, Ceylon sapphire and diamond - it had belonged to Princess Diana and cost £47,000, but is now worth around £300,000. So clearly the original materials were going to be too expensive! I searched out synthetic blue sapphire, white cubic zirconia instead of diamonds, and I created the ring from 9ct gold which is around half the price of 18ct.
The rings had to withstand 1,000’s of people handling them in public areas and be securely attached to the sculptures so I soldered brass threaded rods to their backs so they could be fixed in place.
Reflection
Listen to Jennifer Rubell speak about her work in the video below (I get namechecked 1min in!)
It was surreal and amazing to be a part of this project! When The Stephen Friedman Gallery first approached me to make the rings, I was so excited and delighted to be asked. The initial stages was full of anticipation and a little bit of nerves considering the profile of the project. Then, once the project was underway, it was like creating any other bespoke piece - I had a brief to work to and I wanted to create beautiful pieces to fulfil that brief. However, unlike any other bespoke piece I have made, literally 1,000s of people I will never meet would wear the ring, even if just for a moment. It was quite an odd feeling!
On the exhibition opening night I was extremely proud to see the part I had played on display in the beautiful central London location and to see so many people step up next to William and slip the ring I made onto their finger. It was a wonderful and dreamlike moment and I was thankful to have two good friends (Claire and Fiona) with me attending the event. They encouraged me to stand up next to my work and be photographed in my very own ‘Kate Middleton’ moment!
Little did I know that very soon after my Kate Middleton moment I would play a part in creating the the real wedding jewellery she and others wore. But that story is for another day….!
The exhibition caught the public’s imagination and was featured in publications including The Times, The Daily Mail, The Mirror, The Telegraph, Harvard Magazine and The Sydney Morning Herald.