Princess Diana is one of the world’s most influential women in the world. While she is commemorated for her philanthropy, kindness, and beautiful approach to life, she’s also celebrated for her incredible style.
Here at Steven Stone, we’re big fans of Princess Diana’s iconic jewellery collection – from her beautiful sapphire engagement ring to the Queen Mother’s Sapphire Brooch that she wore during a dance with John Travolta at the White House in 1985. But what are the stories behind each piece and which did she hold closest to her heart?
Our leading jewellery expert, Maxwell Stone has revealed everything you need to know about some of Princess Diana’s most sentimental pieces of jewellery – including where they are now.
Maxwell commented: “From her stunning sapphire engagement ring to her Original Pearl Choker, the glittering pieces collected by Princess Diana throughout her married life hold enormous sentimental value.
By gifting their late mother’s jewellery to their wives, Prince William and Prince Harry ensure that they continue to honour her and keep her memory alive.“
1. Gold Charm Bracelet
There was one other piece of jewellery that was probably more sentimental to Princess Diana than all of her diamonds and pearls, and that was a gold charm bracelet.
The bracelet was a wedding gift from the then Prince Charles, who gifted her a new charm on their anniversary for the first ten years of their marriage – including a miniature of St Paul’s Cathedral as the couple were married there, a pair of ballet shoes as Diana loved the ballet and a polo cap to represent Charles’ love of polo.
Though perhaps the most sentimental of all were a H and a W, which Charles gave to her to mark the birth of their sons, Harry and William.
The current location of Diana’s charm bracelet hasn’t been specified, but in a special “letter of wishes”, Diana requested that her jewellery were to be allocated to her sons, so that their wives may, in due course, have it or use it – suggesting that it’s in Harry or William’s possession.
2. Ceylon Sapphire and Diamond Engagement Ring
Probably the most iconic engagement ring in the world, we couldn’t ignore Princess Diana’s incredible sapphire.
This 12-carat Ceylon sapphire includes 25 cushion-cut diamonds that are set in an 18-carat white gold band. This alluring ring was a stock purchase (not a custom one) from the crown jeweler Gerard.
Serving as a sentimental reminder of Diana’s lasting legacy within the royal family to this day, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge used the stunning ring to propose to Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge.
Whilst it cost just £28,500 at the time of purchase, its value has soared, with Maxwell estimating its worth to be around £390,000 today.
“While Prince Harry inherited the ring in 1997 in the wake of Diana’s tragic death, it’s said he offered the cherished ring to his brother, Prince William, so he could propose to Kate Middleton with it.
When Prince William and Kate Middleton became engaged in 2010, the royal engagement ring was once again in the spotlight. Globally, the sale of blue sapphires increased by around 300 percent at the time, and even now, thanks to Netflix show ‘The Crown’, sales of sapphires are surging, with vintage style halo designs being extremely popular.
“Due to inflation and its legacy, we’d estimate the value of this ring to be around £390,000 today, however in 10 years’ time it’s likely this ring will be worth over £500,000, thanks to its history, beauty, and priceless legacy.”
maxwell stone, creative director, steven stone
3. The Asprey Aquamarine ring
Featuring an emerald cut aquamarine flanked by small solitaire diamonds, Diana’s eye-catching aquamarine ring is particularly sentimental as it was given to the Princess by her friend, Lucia Flecha de Lima.
While many people claim the aquamarine ring was commissioned as a replacement for Diana’s sapphire engagement ring after their divorce in 1997, it was only worn on two occasions before her tragic death.
The first appearance of the ring came when Diana attended the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute Fundraising Dinner in Sydney, in October 1996, a few months after the couple’s divorce. She paired the ring with a coordinating pearl bracelet, featuring a huge aquamarine clasp.
The ring, set on a 24 carat yellow gold band, was passed down to Prince Harry who touchingly gave it to Meghan Markle to wear for the couple’s wedding reception as her “something blue”.
“Aquamarine is one of the most visually beautiful gemstones. With an enchanting pale blue colour, the ring complimented Diana’s skin tone perfectly.
“Now having been passed down to Meghan Markle from Harry, it’s interesting to know that the Aquamarine’s light blue colour symbolises feelings of sympathy, trust, and friendship.
“While the ring is no doubt priceless, if it were available to buy, it would be worth around £75,000 to £85,000.”
maxwell stone, creative director, steven stone
4. The Spencer Family Tiara
The Spencer family tiara is the piece Princess Diana wore with her David and Elizabeth Emmanuel gown on her wedding day.
Unexpectedly, the stunning Tiara didn’t come from the royal vault, it belonged to Diana’s father, John Spencer, Eighth Earl of Spencer. It’s an aristocratic family heirloom which started from the 18th century.
Gifted to Princess Diana’s grandmother, Countess Cynthia Spencer in 1919 and worn by Diana’s two sisters – as well as Princess Diana’s niece, Celia McCorquodale – on their respective wedding days, there’s a huge amount of sentiment attached to the tiara and it remained as one of Princess Diana’s favourite pieces for the rest of her life.
The Spencer Tiara has beautiful diamond encrusted shapes of tulips, scrolls, and stars. Like many royal tiaras, it was fashioned from other pieces of jewellery.
While there’s no official value for the piece, a similar tiara from the Spencer family with 800 cut diamonds and 48 carats sold for $225,000 in 2018, which equates to around £163,000.
“Based on the selling price of a similar Spencer family tiara, I’d estimate this piece to be worth around £400,000. With its incredible detail and the high quality diamonds, not to mention its popularity, this is no doubt a very valuable heirloom.”
maxwell stone, creative director, steven stone
5. Cartier Tank Française Watch
Diana was a lover of watches. When her marriage to the then Prince Charles began to unravel, she stopped wearing the Patek Philippe gold watch that Prince Charles had given to her on her 20th birthday. In its place, she frequently wore a classic Cartier Tank Louis on a black alligator strap, which was a gift from her father, Earl Edward John Spencer on her 21st birthday.
The Cartier Tank Louis wasn’t the only Tank watch that Princess Diana owned. On more formal occasions, she wore a gold Cartier Tank Française watch. Diana was spotted with the classic timepiece during a number of events – including a visit to London’s Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple in 1997 and an engagement at the British Lung Foundation that same year.
Pince Harry gifted his Mother’s elegant watch to his wife, Meghan Markle, who also appears to place significance on it – in 2021, she wore it in a rare portrait of the couple that was released ahead of the couples episode of ‘Time100 Talks’.
Worth £17,800 ($23,000) at the time, the watch is now likely worth a lot more given its history.
6. The Original Pearl Choker
To say Diana that was a fan of pearls is an understatement, so it’s no wonder they were a popular trend in the 1990’s. Many of the Princess’ favourite pieces were made from pearls – including her favourite three-strand pearl choker with a with a flower-shaped, turquoise studded clasp.
Worn during her honeymoon with the then Prince Charles in 1981, the necklace was an 18th birthday gift from Diana’s family and worth an estimated £25,000.
Diana later had the turquoise stones removed and replaced with more pearls, which Maxwell states is likely to have increased the value by £5,000.
“Though it’s Diana’s Sapphire and Pearl Choker that’s renowned for being one of her most iconic, statement pieces, it’s her Original Pearl Choker that holds the most sentiment. Not only was the necklace an 18th birthday gift from her family – with her sisters receiving similar pieces for their respective birthdays – but she also wore it during her honeymoon in 1981.
Originally, the triple-strand pearl necklace featured a turquoise studded clasp and was worth an estimated £25,000. The Princess later had the turquoise stones removed and replaced with more pearls – unsurprisingly as she was a huge fan of pearls – which is likely to have increased the value to £30,000.”
maxwell stone, creative director, steven stone
7. Qatar Pearl Earrings
Diana’s Qatar Pearl Earrings were a wedding gift from the Emir of Qatar – with white diamonds shaped like a flower and a pearl drop to make them even more dazzling, Maxwell estimates their value to be approximately £50,000.
Princess Diana wore these beauties throughout her life, including when she was pregnant with Prince William and to various notable events – such as visits to Australia, Canada, and Norway and a couple of Royal Gala Performances.
Diana’s last wore the Qatar Pearl Earrings during a private viewing of her dresses on auction at Christie’s in aid Of The Aids Crisis Trust and The Royal Marsden Hospital Cancer Fund in June 1997. After her untimely death, they were passed to Prince William and Princess Harry and haven’t been seen since.
With Kate Middleton frequently seen sporting her late Mother-in-Law’s pearl jewels, it’s possible that we could see Diana’s Qatar Pearl Earrings make a return to the spotlight in the near future.
“Composed of a modern diamond floral cluster with pear-shaped pearls suspended from a chain of diamonds, these beautiful earrings were a wedding gift to the Princess from the Emir of Qatar and are worth approximately £50,000.
Diana wore the dazzling earrings at various notable events before her separation from Prince Charles and they haven’t been seen since June 1997. Though with Kate Middleton frequently seen sporting her late Mother-in-Law’s pearl jewels, it’s possible that we could see them make a return to the spotlight in the near future!”
maxwell stone, creative director, steven stone
If you’re inspired by Princess Diana’s jewellery, why not take a look at our collection of necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings in a range of beautiful precious gemstones? We also have an extensive range of engagement and wedding rings.
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