Super wealthy Americans are flocking to the U.K. to snap up royal-inspired engagement rings – as jewelry experts reveal why more clients are looking overseas

Buying engagement rings and expensive jewelry in the United States may be a thing of the past; it’s all about the selection currently available abroad in Britain.

London jewelers are seeing an increase in the number of customers coming from the US to buy gemstones, and there are no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Many people are looking for unique gemstones with history, which jewelers say is one of the reasons they go abroad.

And now that the new season of Bridgeton is coming to Netflix, what better way to emulate these characters than by wearing jewelry that resembles what’s shown in the series.

“The growing interest in beautiful antique stones has grown enormously,” says Guy Burton, director of a famous jewelery house Hancock’s Londonconfirmed to DailyMail.com.

Burton, which specializes in antique stones, has seen customers from New York City and the West Coast interested in its distinctive offerings.

Many of the stones at Hancocks are purchased privately from families they have worked with for generations, and have never been seen before.

That’s not to say there aren’t great diamond dealers in the United States, Burton explained, but it’s the combination of the history and traditional craftsmanship of the stones in Britain that makes it extra special.

And of course, the history of the British Royal Family has played a role in popularizing certain gemstones.

Expert in luxury gemstones Laurie Wickwirebased in London, said the nod to British royal engagement ring stones and designs was not something American brides had available in the US engagement market.

Wickwire told DailyMail.com that many British brides were inspired by the sapphires in Princess Diana’s engagement ring, now worn by Kate Middleton, and by the ruby ​​engagement ring worn by the Duchess of York – and now Americans are taking notice .

“I’m now seeing this as an increasing trend with my US customers,” Wickwire said. ‘Like Britain, America is full of royalists, so it’s not a stretch to want to see royal design influences in our rings.’

Bespoke jeweler from London Emma Clarkson Webbfounder of her eponymous brand, has also seen an increase in the number of US-based clients for her company.

Webb explained that London was also ideal for getting hold of diamonds as shops were ‘famous for their craftsmanship and service’, compared to Saville Row for suits.

“We often have customers looking for older diamond cuts – old mines, old European diamonds, rose cuts that are a pleasure to find and add important history to the piece,” Webb said.

Wickwire’s American customers are also looking for antique diamond cuts.

The expert said those shopping in Britain or on British jewelry websites can access the old mine or antique cushion pieces.

Wickwire explained that Britain’s extensive range of antique stone carvings and jewelry was not available to brides on the other side of the Atlantic who shopped exclusively at American companies.

However, according to Burton, some of the diamonds he sells were polished and cut in Europe, especially in London, but were shipped across the Atlantic during periods when Europe was struggling financially.

He spends a lot of time buying these diamonds back from the United States, eventually selling them to private customers on the overseas market.

It helps that he can even send his customers detailed videos and photos of the diamonds via WhatsApp.

He says the platform has created a wave of foreign buyers compared to a decade ago, and has made a huge difference.

Burton explained that although he used to contact customers from the US by sending photos, this usually resulted in them wanting to come to Britain to view the stones in person.

“If you have WhatsApp and you can make great videos, I sell quite a lot of that,” Burton said.

So next time you’re looking for a diamond, it might be worth looking abroad – you never know what you’ll find.