The George VI Sapphires are undoubtedly among Queen Elizabeth’s most incredible jewels. The demi-parure, which consists of a Victorian-era necklace and earrings is one of Queen Elizabeth’s most valuable and sentimental suites from her magnificent collection.
Not only is the jewellery suite worth millions of pounds, it’s also packed with meaning, as it was in fact a wedding gift from her father in 1947.
A few years later she recieved it, the Queen refashioned the necklace, shortening it and removing the largest sapphire stone to turn into a pendant. Sometime during the ’60s, she also commissioned a matching bracelet to accompany the set.
Queen Elizabeth most recently wore the suite for her official Canadian royal portrait in 2020. In 1990, the Queen took the whole suite with her for a royal tour of Canada—making it a particularly meaningful choice for this portrait.
Taking a close look and casting an expert eye over the gems, Steven’s Stone’s Creative Director, Maxwell Stone, reveals all the details:
The incredible sapphire and diamond cluster line necklace originally featured 18 sapphires, sat on a gradient, ranging from 8 to 30cts, before it was redesigned in 1952. These huge sapphires are surrounded by a halo of diamonds, and linked together by additional single stone diamonds, which are between 0.8ct and 1.5ct.
Maxwell Stone, creative director, steven stone
When Queen Elizabeth altered the necklace, she removed four of the sapphire clusters from the back and remodelled and reset one of larger stones from the front, to create a beautiful pendant for the necklace.
When it comes to the beautiful pair of sapphire earrings, the sapphires look to be around 15ct, with a value in excess of £250,000 to £300,000. The bracelet is probably worth around £500,000 to £600,000.
Read More: The heartwarming reason why the Queen always wears a pearl necklace
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