Yesterday, the nation paid its final respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away 12 days ago after a monumental 70 year reign.
Fine jewellery experts at Steven Stone couldn’t help but notice the different ways that the State Funeral attendees paid their respects through their outfits and jewelry – including Kate Middleton.
The newly titled Princess of Wales wore a four row Japanese pearl choker with diamond clasp and a pair of earrings belonging to the Queen.
Pearl Choker
The Pearl Choker was commissioned to be created using a collection of cultured pearls gifted to the monarch by the Japanese government.
The piece was part of the Queen’s regular jewellery collection in the 1980s and 90s, and was too once worn by the late Princess Diana to a state banquet in the Netherlands.
Along with her Bahrain pearl drop earrings, Kate wore the stunning piece to Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021.
Our experts estimate the Pearl Choker to be worth £23,000.
Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings
The Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings were crafted from a shell containing seven pearls, which was a wedding gift to The Queen from the ruler of Bahrain in 1947.
Kate Middleton has sported the late monarchs pearl drop earrings on several occasions in the past – including during her visit to Balmoral Castle in Scotland in August 2018, and to the Queen’s annual Trooping the Colour parade in celebration of her birthday on 8th June 2019.
Our experts estimate the Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings to be worth £7,000.
“The Pearl Choker was created using cultured pearls, which means that they were grown in pearl farms in carefully chosen environments. Despite possessing all the qualities – lustre and hardness – of natural pearls, cultured pearls aren’t as rare and this reflects in their price. With this in mind, I’d estimate its value to be approximately $26,300 (£23,000). Though to Kate, it holds a great deal of sentimental value as not only was it once part of the Queen’s regular jewelry collection, but it was also once worn by the late Princess Diana.
The Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings also hold a great deal of sentimentality as they were a wedding gift to the Queen from the ruler of Bahrain in 1947. I’d estimate them to be worth £7,000.
It’s incredibly heartwarming to see that Kate chose these pieces to pay her respects to the Queen – particularly because she wore them to Prince Philip’s funeral back in 2021. The Princess obviously associates them with the late monarch and Prince.”
maxwell stone, creative director, steven stone
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