Diana’s Dazzling Gallery Emeralds

Diana arrived at the Tate Gallery in London for the institution’s centenary gala dinner, which coincidentally also fell on the evening of her 36th birthday. The dinner raised more than 200,000 pounds for the Tate’s redevelopment plans.

Diana was escorted by gallery director Nicholas Serota at the event. She wore a glittering black dress made by Moroccan-born designer Jacques Azagury.

Her jewels for the evening were set with diamonds and emeralds. Her earrings, which featured a diamond and emerald pendant, had been in her jewelry box for more than a decade; they were a birthday present from Prince Charles in 1983. With the earrings, she wore a necklace with significant royal provenance. The emerald and diamond choker necklace, with an Art Deco design, belonged to Queen Mary. It was one of the jewels presented to her during the Delhi Durbar in 1911, and she later had it remade into its current choker style. Diana also famously used the necklace as a headband during the royal tour of Australia in 1985. After Diana’s death, the emerald necklace was returned to the royal collection, and it has been displayed in recent years alongside other pieces of Queen Mary’s emerald jewels.

On her left wrist, Diana stacked several bracelets. The diamond and emerald bracelet with a geometric design was a wedding gift from Prince Charles. She stacked it with a diamond tennis bracelet, which is now worn by the Duchess of Sussex.