Kate Middleton's £42 necklace fit for a princess

It is the necklace designed for girls who dream of being a princess — by the woman who is soon to become one.

The pendant, featuring a silver bean, rose quartz and a pink pearl, was the work of Kate Middleton and jewellery designer Claudia Bradby, whose television journalist husband Tom bagged the first interview with Prince William and his new fiancée.

Now the £42 necklace, which was previously sold in Junior Jigsaw shops, is a must-have Christmas present after being reissued following the prince's proposal. Miss Middleton worked with Mrs Bradby during her year as a junior fashion buyer at the Jigsaw fashion chain in 2006-07.

They met three times at the company's Kew head office to decide on the designs after William's then girlfriend spotted a gap in the market for better quality jewellery for girls aged six to 18.

Miss Middleton, 28, remains a fan of Mrs Bradby's designs and was pictured wearing one of the adult necklaces in her collection on a return flight from Barbados over Christmas 2007.

Mrs Bradby said: "When I read that she was appointed as a buyer at Junior Jigsaw, I just wrote saying congratulations, and that if she wanted to do some real jewellery to get in contact.

"She phoned me back and said she had been thinking of doing a small pendant, and would I be interested? She was very specific about what she wanted. It was her concept."

The box for the pendant and 14in chain were both designed by Miss Middleton, and Mrs Bradby is preparing for an influx of orders. "I thought it would be a good idea to reissue it to celebrate their engagement," she said.