Princess Eugenie of York married her long-time boyfriend Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on 12th October 2018.
The couple travelled by carriage from St George’s Chapel into Windsor, before heading for an afternoon reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II in St George’s Hall at the castle.
Fine jewellery and engagement ring experts at Steven Stone have taken a close look at the jewellery that the Princess wore on her big day – revealing all the juicy details.
Tiara
Value: £10,000,000
Princess Eugenie gave us all a surprise by not choosing her mother’s wedding tiara, the York Diamond Tiara, opting instead to borrow a diadem from her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Made for Dame Margaret Helen Greville by Boucheron – a famous society hostess – in 1919, the tiara is called the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik. Mrs Greville bequeathed the stunning piece to the Queen Mother in 1942, but until the day of Eugenie’s wedding, no member of the royal family had ever worn it in public. Queen Elizabeth II inherited the tiara from her mother in 2002.
The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara is the most valuable royal tiara. Made of rose-cut pave diamonds, set in platinum, the tiara is adorned with six emeralds. The centre features a 93.7 carat cabochon-cut emerald, which is what makes it so valuable.
“The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara is made of rose-cut pave diamonds set in platinum and is adorned with six emeralds. The centre features a 93.7-carat cabochon-cut emeralds, which is what makes it so valuable.
We previously estimated he distinctive diamond and emerald headpiece – made by the French jeweller, Boucheron in 1919 – to be worth £10 million, making it the most expensive of all the tiaras we’ve studied.
Wearing emeralds is said to promote friendship, peace, harmony, and domestic bliss by enabling the wearer to both give and receive unconditional love. In ancient Greece and Rome, emerald was said to be the gemstone of the goddess of love, Venus, which is perfectly fitting for a royal bride.
Its original owner was Dame Margaret Greville – a famous society hostess who, upon her death, left her jewels to the Queen Mother. When the Queen Mother passed away in 2002, much of that collection, including the Kokoshnik tiara, went to Queen Elizabeth II. In 2018, the late monarch lent it to Princess Eugenie for her wedding day—making it the most extravagant “something borrowed” in royal history.”
maxwell stone, creative director, steven stone
Earrings
Value: £7,000
Eugenie’s diamond and cabochon emerald drop earrings were a gift from her new husband.
Made of diamond and emerald, the earrings were a perfect match for Eugenie’s tiara, which was lent to her by Queen Elizabeth II, as her “something borrowed.”
Featuring a 1.5 carat cabochon green emerald and seven round brilliant diamonds, the glamorous drop-style earrings are worth approximately £7,000.
Wedding Ring
Value: £1,000
Following family tradition, Princess Eugenie’s wedding ring was made from a piece of Welsh gold given by the Queen.
Members of the royal family have used the gold to create their wedding bands since the Queen Mother married the Duke of York on 26th April 1923 – and most are thought to be fashioned out of the Queen’s personal collection from the Clogau St. David Gold Mine in Dolgellau, Wales.
Engagement Ring
Value: £100,000 to £120,000
Eugenie’s padparadscha sapphire and diamond cluster engagement ring was visible on her right hand.
Padparadscha sapphires are incredibly rare, much rarer than diamonds – they’re strikingly beautiful with unique shades of pink and orange, often resembling the colours of a sunset.
The stones are set on a Welsh yellow gold band, which is a custom for royal brides, with two stunning tapered diamonds at the shoulders of the yellow gold shank.
It is a similar style to Kate Middleton’s cluster style sapphire ring, not to mention another royal who is especially close to the princess – the ring bares a remarkable resemblance to Eugenie’s mother, Sarah Ferguson’s engagement ring, which features a Burmese ruby, surrounded by diamonds.
“The centre stone of Princess Eugenie’s engagement ring is an oval cut Padpardscha sapphire, which looks to be around 3 to 4 carats. This is by far one of the rarest gemstones in the world, thanks to its unparalleled salmon hue.
It’s surrounded by 10 brilliant cut diamonds and two pear cut diamonds, which do a remarkable job of emphasising the sapphire, to create an eye-catching finish – this particular sapphire is mainly obtained in Sri Lanka and resembles the area’s peach coloured flowers.
The term “Padparadscha” is derived from the Sinhalese word “padmaraga” for “aquatic lotus blossom”, denoting an extraordinary combination of both pink and orange all rolled into a one of kind gemstone.
It’s clear to see that no expense was spared on Eugenie’s ring, which I would estimate to be worth around £100,000 to £120,000”
maxwell stone, creative director, steven stone
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