|Updated: Jul 02, 2023, 08:52 PM IST
Diana, Princess of Wales, loved jewellery and knew just whichaccessory will go best withan outfit.Princess Diana is remembered as a fashion icon due to her bold outfits and statement jewellery choices. Today, her sons’ wives, the duch*ess of Cambridge and the duch*ess of Sussex, are fans of predominantly delicate, understated jewels, reserving Diana’s favourite statement pieces only for the grandest of occasions. Diana was not shy about wearing the same piece in creative ways. Here are a few of her most iconic pieces.
The 'D' initial pendant
Long before they were fashionable, Lady Diana Spencer was spotted wearing an initial pendant. She was just 19 years old when this photo wastaken in September 1980 at the Pimlico nursery where she worked. At the time, she was receiving more news coverage due to rumours that she and Prince Charles could get engaged shortly. Diana's 'D' was in her characteristic material, yellow gold, and was a larger, bolder variation of the type Meghan Markle wore (with 'A' for Archie) last year.
(Photograph:Instagram)
The sapphire and diamond engagement ring
The world first fell in love with Lady Diana Spencer in February 1981 when she and Prince Charles stood coyly on the steps of Buckingham Palace to announce their engagement. She also donned a blue skirt suit from Harrods to go with the ring,a 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire and diamond engagement ring. Diana had chosen it from a group of 12 rings that the then-crown jeweller Garrard had offered. It quickly gave rise to thousands of copies. It gained fresh popularity after being given to Kate Middleton by Prince William over 30 years later.
(Photograph:Instagram)
The Spencer tiara that she wore on her wedding day
The picture of Princess Diana as a young bride on her wedding day in July 1981 is arguably the most recognisable of all time. She wore the Spencer Tiara, a lovely scrolling floral and leafy headpiece with diamonds set in silver over gold, with her rich silk David and Elizabeth Emanuel gown. The family heirloom belonged to her father John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer, and has been passed down through generations since Garrard created it using materials from the Spencer collection in the 1930s. Diana's sisters, Jane and Sarah, also wore the tiara on their wedding days, and Princess Diana routinely attended black-tie affairs while donning it. The tiara was passed down to Diana's brother Charles, 9th Earl Spencer, after John's passing, and has not been worn since.
(Photograph:Instagram)
The Saudi sapphire jewellery suite
This Asprey collection of sapphire and diamond jewels was given as a wedding gift by the Saudi royal family and was made to go with Diana's engagement ring. In the early years of her marriage, she frequently wore earrings and necklaceswith a sizable Burmese sapphire. But a piece she had redesigned was perhaps the more iconic aspect of the set. She had her beloved choker-style necklace constructed using the stones from the watch and ring in the suite, which she had previously worn to a charity event in Wales in 1985. The necklace was backed with blue velvet ribbon. The following year, she again wore it as a headband at a dinner thrown by Japan's Emperor Hirohito.
(Photograph:Instagram)
;
The sapphire and pearl choker
It wasn't just their dance routines that made the iconic scene with Princess Diana and John Travolta at the White House in 1985 so famous. Diana wore an unusual seven-strand pearl necklace with a sapphire and diamond clasp that was previously a brooch Diana received as a wedding present from the Queen Mother. It was one of Diana's favouritepieces, and she wore it both during and after her marriage. Its most knownappearance may have been in 1994 when she wore it with the bold "revenge dress" on the night Prince Charles publicly admitted to having an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.
(Photograph:Instagram)
The Lover’s Knot tiara
Diana received the Lover's Knot tiarafrom the Queen as a wedding present. It was a duplicate of a tiara that belonged to Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel (1797-1889), the duch*ess of Cambridge, and was made for Queen Mary in 1914 using diamonds and pearl drops that were already in the family collection. Diana was a huge admirer of this regal pieceand she famously wore it in Hong Kong in 1989 with a high-collar Catherine Walker gown studded with pearls and in a 1990 photo shoot for Vogue. After Diana's divorce, it returned to the royal collection and has subsequently grown to be a favourite of the present duch*ess of Cambridge.
(Photograph:Instagram)
The multipurpose emerald choker
Another piece originally owned by Queen Mary, this emerald choker was also loaned by the Queen to Diana shortly after her wedding. It was part of the significant Delhi Durbar emerald and diamond parure created by Garrard on the occasion of Edward V and Queen Mary’s trip to India in 1911, where they were proclaimed Emperor and Empress of India. Diana often wore it as a choker, but the momentshe wore it as a daring headband is memorable as she swirled around the dance floor with Prince Charles in 1985. It was returned to the Queen’s collection after her death.
(Photograph:Instagram)
Cartier Tank watch
Diana had always loved the Cartier Tank and had two of them: a Tank Louis Cartier with a black alligator strap and a Tank Française made entirely of gold, which was a gift from her father. Her kids were given the option to select a memento from her Kensington Palace possessions after she passed away, and Prince William selected the Tank Française.
(Photograph:Instagram)
The aquamarine ring
Following her divorce from the Prince of Wales in 1996, Princess Diana commissioned this emerald-cut aquamarine and diamond ring from Asprey, often wearing it on her ring finger in place of her engagement and wedding rings. After her death, the ring was passed to Prince Harry, and it was his new bride, Meghan Markle, who wore it to the couple’s evening wedding reception in 2018.
(Photograph:Instagram)
Her love for pearls
Diana wore pearls regularly and in a variety of ways. She displayed the ageless versatility of pearlswith everything, from the necklace she received from her parents for her 18th birthday to the many strands that she wore long and tight around her neck. Diana wore a pearl and diamond necklace designed by Garrard at one of her final public appearances at a Royal Opera House performance of Swan Lake in 1997. She had contributed to its creation, but she was not the piece's owner, and she passed away before she could get it and the coordinating earrings. The set was finally purchased by a private buyer, and Guernseys of New York has since sold it in a series of auctions.
