Meet the ethical jewellery brand behind Kate's £79 earrings
The Princess of Wales is rarely seen without pieces from her fabulous jewellery collection. But even though she has access to some of the Royal Family's most expensive and iconic gems in the world, Kate sometimes prefers to opt for pieces from small independent brands.
The Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall's go-to jewellery designer? No, not a diamond encrusted brand worth millions, but a small, independent designer whose gold and silver pieces come in at under £100.
Not only that, but the mother-of-three’s favourite jewellery brand is all crafted from recycled 18k gold vermeil.
Spells of Love was founded by designer Hayley Jones, who started her company from her kitchen table in Caerphilly, South Wales, and has quickly become one of the Kate’s favourite brand’s for public appearances, especially on visits to Wales.
Her go-to pieces are a pair of gold angular ‘Alia’ hoop earrings which come in at £79, and a pair of smaller, twisted gold hoops, priced at £60.
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Always one to make a subtle tribute to the hosting nation, the Princess of Wales first wore the Welsh designed and made ‘Alia’ earrings on an official visit to Barry island in August 2020.
From there, Kate's fondness for the Spells of Love pieces only grew, wearing the hoops a further five times in 2020, including on another trip to Cardiff at Christmas.
Kate, 40, was also seen wearing the brand's Double Strand Beaded Necklace in 2021.
She has worn the twisted gold hoops on numerous other occasions too, opting for the smaller, subtler design on the royal tour of the Caribbean in early 2022.
Most recently, Kate opted for the angular hooped earrings for her first visit to the country since becoming the Princess of Wales.
Read more: Every time the Duchess of Cambridge and Sussex subtly honoured Princess Diana
Designer Jones has had to enlist the help of family and friends to complete orders as the pieces often sell out “within a day” once the duchess has worn them.
“Having the Duchess of Cambridge wear my jewellery has been so amazing,” Jones tells Yahoo UK. “The impact it has had on my business has been amazing – I have sold out within a day.”
“As a small business it has really helped put my company on the map,” she added. “I have received orders from countries I would never have expected to know about my brand.
“I'm so grateful and honoured to have the duchess wear my designs.”
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The jewellery brand’s responsibly handcrafted pieces fit in with Kate's move to be more sustainably conscious in recent years, only using recycled gold and plastic-free packaging.
“All our makers are registered members of the Responsible Jewellery Council and UN Global Compacts,” Jones tells Yahoo UK. “All precious and semi-precious stones used are ethically sourced and traceable.”
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The Princess of Wales isn’t the only famous face to have picked up on the jewellery brand. Model Kendall Jenner was also seen wearing the angular ‘Alia’ hoops to a New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden in April 2022.
And if the ‘Duchess Effect’ is anything to go by, we expect a whole host of celebrities to be jumping on the Spells of Love bandwagon in no time at all.
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