Official engagement portraits: Charles and Diana in 1981 and William and Kate in 2010. The Garrard sapphire and diamond engagement ring shines in each photographs. Picture Getty
- After Diana accepted Prince Charles’ proposal of marriage over a candlelit dinner at Buckingham Palace, she picked her sapphire and diamond engagement ring from an array of designs by the British Crown jeweler Garrard.
- There are a a number of theories on why Diana chosen a sapphire as an alternative of a diamond. Catty palace insider gossip is that the queen really selected the ring. Royal watchers consider Diana picked it as a result of it matched her eyes. She may additionally have chosen the sapphire as a result of it was her favourite gem. Diana was quoted as saying she chosen her ring from the tray “as a result of it was the largest.” Royal jewellery professional Leslie Subject has disputed the “largest” principle. She has stated Diana instructed her it’s not true.
Girl Diana Spencer reveals her sapphire and diamond engagement ring as she poses with Prince Charles within the grounds of Buckingham Palace following the announcement of their engagement. Picture by Tim Graham/Getty Pictures
- The design was not a customized creation however one thing off the rack, so to talk. Within the late Nineteen Seventies and early Eighties, the favored look of a ruby, emerald or sapphire surrounded by diamonds was made with slight variations by any variety of jewelers. Prince Charles’ brother Andrew introduced a ruby ring related in model by Garrard when he proposed to Sarah Ferguson in 1986. It was to the interval what halo settings are to at the moment.
- Princess Diana’s engagement ring options an oval form Ceylon sapphire surrounded by 14 spherical diamonds set in white gold. The middle stone has been reported to weigh anyplace from 9 to 18 carats. Most experiences say it’s 12-carats. The royal household nor the jeweler Garrard has ever confirmed the load of the middle stone. It’s conventional to maintain that data personal.
Princess Diana sporting the Spencer Household Tiara with a set of sapphire and diamond jewels that match her engagement ring. The sapphire jewels have been a present from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Picture Tim Graham/Getty Pictures
- The official identify for the design is the Marguerite, the time period used to explain daisies in French.
- Since Kate Middleton acquired the ring, a new story concerning the inspiration for the silhouette has surfaced. Garrard has said the designed was impressed by a sapphire surrounded by diamonds Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria the day earlier than their marriage ceremony. The jewel has been worn by Queen Elizabeth on quite a few events over time.
Queen Elizabeth sporting Queen Victoria’s sapphire and diamond brooch in 1979. Picture Getty
- When Princess Diana died it was Prince Harry not Prince William who requested for the engagement ring amongst her possessions. When William was able to suggest to Kate in 2010, Harry gave him the ring.
- Prince William carried the jewel round in a backpack in Kenya for every week, the place he was vacationing Kate, earlier than he proposed.
Kate Middleton sporting the sapphire and diamond engagement ring by Garrard poses with Prince William within the State Residences of St James Palace on November 16, 2010 in London, England as they announce their engagement to the press. Picture by Chris Jackson/Getty Pictures
- When the engagement was introduced publicly, William stated the ring was “very particular to me.” He went on so as to add, “As Kate’s very particular to me now, it was proper to place the 2 collectively. It was my method of constructing certain my mom didn’t miss out on at the moment and the joy, and the truth that we’re going to spend the remainder of our lives collectively.”
10. When Prince Charles gave Diana the ring in 1981, it was valued at roughly $42,000. Clearly the jewel would by no means be offered, but when the unattainable occurred it might garner tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars} at public sale on par with Paul Newman’s Rolex watch or Elizabeth Taylor’s 33.19-carat Krupp diamond ring. The value can be based mostly on the historical past and nostalgic worth of the ring.
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