As Celebrity Dollhouse’s creative director, Ms de Simone and her team set to work on the company’s launch project – a replica of royal baby Prince George – the moment he was presented to the world by Kate and Prince William on the steps of St Mary’s Hospital.
“The birth of Prince George was probably the biggest celebration of a newborn that most people are likely to see in their lifetime,’ Ms de Simone said.
“It was incredibly exciting to be celebrating the prince’s arrival by creating a human-like, detailed replica that preserved the positive, beautiful things we associate with newborns.”
The mother of three, has devoted almost a decade to her hobby and over that time significantly refined her techniques and skills in the art form she describes as “a celebration of new life”.
Celebrity Dollhouse aims to create premium quality, life-like, replica dolls of high profile newborns as well as jewellery, accessories and other related fashion items.
Most of the profits will be channelled into creative industries, in which her partners in the venture - Bianca Biasi of Morning Starr Productions and Rebekah Biasi, of talent agency, Rebekah Biasi Management – are heavily involved.
When Celebrity Dollhouse’s replica doll was publicly unveiled in early days of August, it was believed to have been the world's first, premium-standard, hand-crafted replica doll of Prince George, utilising the highest quality moulds and componentry.
Ms de Simone said the week-long online auction – as was typically the case - only ramped up into a three-way bidding contest in its final half hour. A United Arab Emirates-based collector, who requested that her identity not be disclosed, secured the exquisitely detailed, premium quality doll artwork with a bid of GBP 1,020 (AUD 1,730) just 12 minutes before the auction closed.
"I'm thrilled that Celebrity Dollhouse's first creation has found its way to someone who truly has an appreciation of this very specialised art form," Ms de Simone, said.
"I'm even thrilled to see it go to her at such a fantastic price. She can be sure this Prince George re-creation involved exceptional workmanship, dedication and effort from each member of our team.
"In the coming months, we hope to capture the public's imagination with a series of premium quality, intricately-designed re-creations of high profile newborns.”
Hand-crafted doll art can at times achieve incredibly high sale prices, with a premium quality re-creation of a high-profile newborn, typically achieve a sale price approaching $5,000 and on rare occasions, closer to the $10,000-mark.
A leading doll artist from South Africa sold one of her creations last April for nearly $25,000.
For more information, visit www.celebritydollhouse.com
