Princess Diana preferred to lead more of a normal life, compared to other royals. However, her jewelry box had all the markings of a royal budget. It featured various stunning pieces such as her sparkling tiaras, her renowned pearl chokers, and her flashy headbands. But perhaps the most iconic of them all was her exquisite engagement ring, which is renowned as the most famous engagement ring in the world. So, what made this engagement ring so popular, and what’s the story behind it? Read on to find out:
Princess Diana’s Engagement Ring History
Prince Charles was one of the most eligible bachelors at that time in the world. Considering that he’s also a royal, his choice of an engagement ring to Princess Diana was always going to be heavily scrutinized.
However, what’s most surprising is that Prince Charles proposed without an engagement ring. This means that she allowed the princess to choose her own engagement ring from Garrard’s collection, the royal jeweler at the time. So, when they stepped out to announce their engagement officially in 1981, most people got the chance to see the engagement ring for the first time.
According to insiders, the ring featured a blend of royal and romantic inspiration. It’s said to have been inspired by a diamond-and-sapphire brooch that Queen Victoria had received from Prince Albert, which she wore on her wedding day. This brooch featured a blue theme. Also, Prince Charles’ grandmother, that’s the Queen Mother, also sported a sapphire engagement ring.
Princess Diana’s Engagement Ring Description
Royal families have always preferred sapphire engagement rings for centuries. However, Princess Diana’s ring had a special touch to it. First, her engagement ring is more of a statement piece, meaning it comes with a large, stunning center ring, flanked by several diamond rings. The large centerpiece is a 12-carat oval sapphire, flanked by 14 round diamonds. The 14 round diamonds are then set in 18-carat white gold, making the entire ring simply gorgeous. The sapphire centerpiece is of royal blue color with Sri-Lankan roots.
Princess Diana’s Engagement Ring Worth
According to official records, this ring cost approximately £47,000 or $65,000 if you like. And this was quite a fortune at the time. Today, this ring is currently valued at approximately £300,000 or around $413,000. So, if you are looking to purchase such a ring, then you should be ready to part with this amount. But, it’s important to mention that you can only get a replica.
Princess Diana’s Engagement Ring Controversy
Princess Diana was renowned for doing things the unconventional way. For instance, she opted to send her children to public schools, instead of the private schools that the royal family had always preferred. And as you may expect, her engagement ring was no different.
Most royals at the time preferred wearing unique, custom-made engagement rings. This was not the case with Diana’s ring. She preferred doing things her way. Her ring had already been featured in the Garrard’s catalog, who was the royal jeweler at the time. What this means is that this ring was technically available to any person.
So, any person who had $65k to spare could purchase this ring. Perhaps what angered the royal family most is the fact that Princess Diana selected this engagement ring herself, meaning that she had a chance to choose something custom-made and unique to the royals. Instead, she opted to do things her own way and went for this ring. As you may probably know, the royal family likes following certain traditions. So, when Princess Diana decided to deviate from this tradition, the royal family was not impressed.
But regardless of the controversy surrounding this ring, it’s clear that the princess was clearly in love with her new ring. In fact, she was so much in love with this stunning sapphire ring that she continued wearing it after they had officially separated.
So, why was this ring so precious to her? Well, several theories have been put forward, all of which are merely speculative. For instance, some sources say that she wore it mainly for sentimental reasons since it reminded her of her own mom’s engagement ring. Others claim that she loved the ring because its deep blue hue matched her eye color. Other sources claim that she chose this ring because it had the biggest sapphire stone in the collection. But whichever the reason, it’s clear that Princess Diana loved this ring. And she could have chosen it repeatedly, given the chance.
Recent Times
Princess Diana’s ring has changed hands quite a few times since her demies. In 2010, Prince William proposed using this ring to his girlfriend Kate Middleton. According to William, he carried this ring wherever he went, owing to its priceless value. Their proposal took place in Kenya. And around November the same year, the pair officially announced their engagement, with Kate Middleton sporting the 12-carat engagement ring. According to Prince William, he proposed using this ring as a means of ensuring that his mother didn’t miss his big day.
From Prince Harry to William
However, it’s also worth mentioning that this ring originally belonged to Prince Harry. Before Princess Diana passed on, she had created a will that said that her sons would be the legal custodians of her entire jewelry collection. They would then pass on the jewelry to their wives. To this end, Prince Harry inherited her mum’s iconic engagement ring while William received a Cartier watch that belonged to his mom.
After several years, Harry gave this iconic ring to his brother, so that he could use it when proposing to Kate. This is how the ring changed hands from Prince Harry to Prince William and ultimately to Kate.
Kate Middleton Onwards
Recent reports indicate that Kate made some minor alterations to this stunning sapphire ring. When she received this ring, it was reportedly bigger than her ring finger, resulting in a loose fit. So, Kate decided to add some tiny platinum beads to its interior surface, thus resulting in a snug fit. And since then, this ring has never left her finger.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article has given you the information that you were seeking regarding Princess Diana’s Sapphire engagement ring. If you are considering purchasing an engagement ring then contact Diamond Exchange Houston for all of your diamond jewelry needs.
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