Wal-Mart subsidiary offers look-alike royal engagement ring—for $36

A British subsidiary of Wal-Mart plans to sell a £19 version ($36.25) of the platinum and diamond engagement ring Prince Charles has given to Camilla Parker Bowles, says the Times of London.

The original ring, valued at about $1 million, is “a timeless classic,” and the retailer wants to give its customers “a taste of royalty for a fraction of the price,” said Justine Reid, jewelry buyer for the ASDA food and clothing superstore chain, according to the Times.

ASDA announced Feb. 15 it will start selling look-alike copies of the engagement ring—originally owned by the late Queen Elizabeth, mother of Queen Elizabeth II and grandmother of Charles—on Apr. 8, the date of the wedding, at its 195 in-store jewelry counters. The replica will be made of sterling silver and zircons.

“The ring has gone down very well with the public,” an ASDA spokesman told the Times, and the retailer has gotten many requests for a copy. ASDA expects the replica ring to sell well with “mums and grans, and anyone who wants an unusual piece of jewelry,” said the spokesperson. However, ASDA will also take orders for a more expensive copy made of platinum and with 4.8 cts. of diamonds (the original has eight), priced at £30,000 ($57,000).

The ring, made in London in the 1920s, is believed to be the one given by the future George VI to his wife, Elizabeth, when she was pregnant with the present Queen, Elizabeth II, says the Times.

Wal-Mart Stores, headquartered in Bentonville, Ark., is the world’s largest retailer with more than 4,800 stores in nine countries. It has owned ASDA since 1999.

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