Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, can make the hearts of business leaders go all warm and fuzzy. All she has to do is wear or use or smile on their product, and sales shoot right through the roof. Or skyrocket through the starry Sri Lankan sky, reports Business Week. Perfume makers, designers, even blue sapphires have blossomed into popularity due to Kate Middleton’s magic touch.

When Prince William chose a Ceylon Blue Sapphire (Ceylon is the older name for the country of Sri Lanka) as the engagement ring for his royal bride, Sri Lankan sales of the gem took an immediate jump. And he didn’t even buy a new one, since the duchess now wears the ring Prince William’s mother, Princess Diana, wore. Sri Lanka has been known for its fabulous rubies and sapphires since the explorer MFile:Kate in Ottawa for Canada Day 2011.jpgarco Polo “discovered” them, some 700 years ago and praised their beauty all over Italy.

This year, sales went up 37%. “The National Gem and Jewellery(sic) Authority says the value totals $77 million so far this year, boosted by Middle East demand for blue sapphires.” And all parts of the world have participated in the buying boom, thanks to Kate Middleton’s enormous popularity.

“Sri Lanka is favorably located on international shipping lanes, which make it a natural export and transshipment hub” with access to 1.5 billion people in its neighborhood, reported executives in the investment group which has profited most. And most of that blue sapphire frenzy can be traced directly back to the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. – celebs.gather