Multiple members of the Royal family flocked to England’s Ascot Racecourse last week for this year’s Royal Ascot.
The five day horse racing event is an important date in the Royal calendar – Queen Elizabeth II famously attended her first Royal Ascot in 1946 and failed to miss an entire meeting until 2022, which took place just three months before her sad passing.
Known for its elegant fashion, the annual event is also an excuse for the royals to showcase some of their fabulous jewels.
Fine jewellery and diamond experts at Steven Stone have taken a close look at some of the jewels that the royal family were flaunting at this year’s event.
King Charles
Diamond & Enamel Tie Pin
Estimated Value: £24,000 ($30,000)
King Charles wore an interesting tie pin on the first day of the event.
The monarch’s tie pin features a decorative letter ‘A’ that’s sat on blue enamel, surrounded by a diamond frame and topped by a diamond crown.
It’s unknown who or what the initial refers to, though it’s likely to be one of the King’s Grandfather’s – Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark or Prince Albert, Duke of York.
Queen Camilla
The Scallop-shell Brooch
Estimated Value: £30,000 ($38,000)
Queen Camilla chose a sentimental piece of jewellery for the first day of the races – the Courtauld Thomson Scallop-Shell Brooch – which was once owned by the Queen Mother.
Made in 1919, the sea-life inspired brooch was left to Queen Elizabeth, wife of George VI, in 1944 by Courtauld-Thomsen’s sister, Winifred Hope Thomsen.
The shape, as you may have guessed, represents a scallop-shell and features pavé-set diamonds around a single pearl.
The Queen Mother wore it often, most notably during her 100th birthday celebrations in 2000.
It was then passed down to the Queen who wore the brooch to the wedding of Zara and Mike Tindall at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 30th July 2011.
Our experts estimate the sentimental piece to be worth £30,000.
Pearl Choker
Estimated Value: £50,000 ($64,000)
It was no surprise to see Queen Camilla sporting her favourite pearl choker on day two of Royal Ascot, alongside a pale green chiffon dress by Anna Valentine.
The choker consists of four strands of cultured pearls. Although cultured pearls are real pearls, they are much less rare than natural pearls, which is reflected in the overall value. The pearls are joined by a round cluster of round Edwardian cut diamonds.
The necklace also has a hidden meaning as Edwardian jewellry embodies femininity.
Our experts estimate the piece to be worth approximately £50,000.
Art Deco Brooch
Estimated Value: £200,000 ($250,000)
Queen Camilla was also sporting an eye-catching diamond brooch on day two of Royal Ascot.
The rectangular shaped brooch features four triangular panels set with diamonds, with a large stone set where the panels join together.
According to a tweet from the Ascot Twitter account, the platinum piece previously belonged to Queen Elizabeth II. It was previously worn by Queen Camilla for Christmas at Sandringham in December 2022.
Our experts estimate it to be worth a staggering £200,000.
Topaz Pearl Choker
Estimated Value: £160,000 ($205,000)
Queen Camilla wore her Topaz Pearl Choker on the third day of the event, which is similar to the choker that Princess Diana wore alongside her “revenge dress”.
Reportedly bought at an auction in 2000, Prince Charles’ gifted the choker to his wife.
Boasting an 80-100ct pink topaz stone at the centre, our experts estimate the piece to be worth £160,000.
Princess Anne
Birds of Paradise Brooch
Estimated Value: £12,000 ($15,000)
Princess Anne wore a teal iridescent skirt suit to the first day of this year’s Royal Ascot – accessorising with a pair of blue gloves, pearl earrings a bow-embellished hat and a particularly interesting brooch.
Maxwell Stone, Diamond Expert, commented: “Comprised of a combination of rubies, sapphires and emeralds, Princess Anne’s 18k gold brooch is in the shape of a bird.
It’s not the first time that the Princess Royal has worn a Birds of Paradise brooch – she wore one featuring two birds sitting side by side on a little twig during a trip to Papua New Guinea back in April 2022.
I’d estimate it to be worth around $15,000“.
Diamond & Aquamarine Brooch
Estimated Value: £120,000 ($153,000)
Looking elegant as ever on the second day of the British races, Princess Anne was wearing a blue vintage style dress and white jacket, with a matching hat. Though it was the Princess Royal’s choice of accessory that caught our attention and we couldn’t take our eyes off the beautiful blue brooch that she had displayed on her jacket.
Interestingly, Princess Anne’s diamond and aquamarine brooch wasn’t always a brooch. It was actually a tiara that belonged to Queen Elizabeth – she gifted it to her Granddaughter, Princess Anne, in 1973 as a wedding present.
Created by Cartier, the tiara is known as the Aquamarine Pineflower tiara – possessing the French jewellery brands 1930s aesthetic, it features pinecone motifs. It’s thought that King George VI commissioned it as a present for his wife, Queen Elizabeth, in around 1938 – when the royal couple celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary.
Maxwell Stone, Diamond Expert, commented: “Princess Anne had the central aquamarine and diamond element of the tiara removed and re-modelled into a brooch – presumably so she could wear it more regularly. She notably wore the brooch to a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in June 2014.
The tiara is still seen today and Princess Anne tends to wear it to state events. A large rectangular aquamarine sits in place of the element that the Princess Royal had removed for the brooch.
I’d estimate the beautiful brooch to be worth £120,000.”
Pearl Necklace
Estimated Value: £1 million ($1.3 million)
On the Wednesday of this year’s event, Princess Anne paid a subtle tribute to her late Mother by wearing her beloved three-strand pearl necklace. Commissioned by the late monarch herself, the necklace is made from pearls from the family collection and fastened with a small diamond clasp.
Zack Stone, Diamond Expert, commented: “Queen Elizabeth owned some of the most valuable jewels in the world, so it would be fair to assume that this necklace is made from natural pearls. Only a very small percentage of pearls used for jewellery are natural, with most of them being cultured. If the piece is made from natural pearls, it’s going to be incredibly rare, not to mention valuable.
One single natural pearl is worth around £3,000, and as this is a three-strand necklace, it could be worth anywhere from £600,000 to £1,000,000.”
Kate Middleton
Statement Earrings
Estimated Value: £100 ($127)
Though they’ve attended the event multiple times in the past, the Prince and Princess of Wales didn’t make their first appearance at the 2023 Royal Ascot until Friday.
Stunning in a red dress by Alexander McQueen and a matching hat by Philip Treacy, the Princess accessorised with a pair of gold earrings that feature intricate detailing.
The statement earrings are from Sézane and though the exact pair are unavailable on the French fashion brands website, every pair of earrings on there retails for less than £100.
This isn’t the first time that Kate has opted for a pair of affordable earrings – the chandelier earrings that she wore to this year’s BAFTAs retail at just £17.99. Not to forget the pair of £100 earrings from Sézane that Prince William gifted to her last Christmas.
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