One specialist in replica jewellery today estimated that about 40 per cent of purchases at its shop were now made by customers worried about being robbed or losing diamonds.
Dervla Cogan, the founder of By Brilliant, in Chelsea, linked the shift in buying patterns to the riots in August. She said: "We've had a huge number of individuals, especially female bankers and Middle Eastern ladies, who have lovely jewellery but feel it's not safe to take them out of the house in the current climate, so they are coming to us for replacements. People feel just as glamorous wearing them in public without the worry of having a family heirloom or an expensive item stolen."
Prices at the boutique range from £60 for a laboratory-made diamond pendant set in white gold to £500 for one of the By Brilliant cocktail rings or tennis bracelets. Recruitment agency manager Caoimhe Omahony bought replicas of her wedding and engagement rings and a pair of diamond earrings. Mrs Omahony, 32, of South Kensington, said: "I decided to do it initially because I was going travelling but then I started wearing them more generally day-to-day.
"The originals are very valuable but I have spent a fraction of the cost - probably £500 in total - on replicas. I can't tell the difference myself and even my husband can't tell when I'm wearing them."Rapper Jay Z proposed to Beyoncé with an 18-carat flawless diamond ring, worth an estimated $5million, but also gave her an imitation version to wear on stage and in public.