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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

The Top Ten: Princess Diana’s Jewels

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This time of year, a somber anniversary echoes in the minds of many royal watchers: that of the untimely and tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Mother of one future king and grandmother of another, Diana’s memory still looms large over the royal landscape. But while there are many sad chapters of Diana’s story, today I thought it would be much more fun to survey some of the sparklier aspects of her royal life.

Here are my top ten favorite pieces from Diana’s royal jewelry box — be sure to chime in with your own list in the comments below

10. The Swan Lake Necklace

Diana’s last official engagement before her death was a trip to the Royal Albert Hall to see Swan Lake. For the performance, she wore a necklace that Garrard had designed with her input. Garrard later added matching earrings (never worn by Diana), also made of diamonds and pearls, to the necklace; the suite was sold after Diana’s death to a private collector.

9.  The Qatar Diamond and Pearl Earrings

Diana’s collection included a large number of pairs of pearl earrings, but this pair is my favorite: the diamond and pearl drops given to her as a wedding gift by the Emir of Qatar. The stud features a diamond floral motif, with delicate pear-shaped pearls suspended from a chain of diamonds.

8. The Sultan of Oman Sapphire Suite

One of two major sets of sapphire jewels from Diana’s collection, this diamond and sapphire suite was given to her by the Sultan of Oman during the 1986 tour of the Gulf states. The set features a necklace, earrings, and a bracelet, all made in a distinctly modern style.

7. Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara

The most magnificent heirloom jewel worn by Diana during her tenure as Princess of Wales was the lover’s knot tiara made in 1913 for Queen Mary. It was a copy of a tiara owned by Mary’s family, the Cambridges. The Queen presented the tiara to Diana shortly before the royal wedding in 1981; today, the tiara is back in the Windsor vaults.

6.  The Diamond Pendant Necklace

Diana regularly wore a simple diamond necklace that could take various pendant pieces. The diamond necklace was a part of the larger jewelry gift she received from the Saudi crown prince on her wedding; the large sapphire and diamond pendant that she often wore with the necklace also came with the Saudi suite. Diana often swapped out the sapphire for a diamond pendant with a Prince of Wales feather motif that reportedly once belonged to Queen Alexandra; that pendant was apparently an engagement gift from the Queen Mother. The Prince of Wales feather pendant could also be worn with a detachable emerald drop.

5. The Queen Mother’s Sapphire Brooch

The Queen Mum had more gifts in store for Diana; for her wedding, she gave her new granddaughter-in-law a large oval sapphire and diamond brooch. In the early years of her marriage, Diana wore the piece as a brooch, but she quickly had it converted into the clasp of a seven-strand pearl choker. This was one of the large pieces of jewelry that Diana continued to wear even after her separation and divorce.

4. The Delhi Durbar Emerald Choker

The lover’s knot tiara wasn’t the only piece of Queen Mary’s jewelry that Diana wore. She was also frequently spotted wearing the art deco diamond and emerald choker from the Delhi Durbar parure. Along with wearing this as a traditional choker necklace, Diana also famously used it as a headband.

3. The Saudi Sapphire Suite

The set of faceted sapphire and diamond jewelry given to Diana as a wedding present by the Saudi crown prince was extensive: it originally included the diamond necklace mentioned above, with its sapphire and diamond pendant, plus earrings, a bracelet, a ring, and a watch. Diana innovated with this set of jewels, transforming the watch and ring into a choker (again, more famously worn as a headband) and another necklace.

2. The Spencer Tiara

While this tiara never belonged to Diana — it’s a Spencer family piece, owned by the earl — it’s the tiara that is easily most associated with her. She wore the diamond floral sparkler on her wedding day and on many occasions afterward.

1. The Sapphire and Diamond Engagement Ring

Of all of Diana’s glittering jewels, the one you’ll see in public most often these days is her sapphire and diamond engagement ring. Made by Garrard, the ring features a large faceted sapphire surrounded by diamonds. In 2011, Diana’s elder son, the Duke of Cambridge, gave the ring to his future bride, Kate Middleton. He noted during their engagement interview that giving Kate the ring was his way of ensuring that his “mother didn’t miss out” on such an important occasion in his life.

Upcoming Bejeweled Royal Events

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With the royals still hibernating during their annual holidays, the weekly jewel news is on hiatus for another week. But while we wait, let’s look at some of the big events that are already on the calendar for this autumn. There are jewels in the wings, everyone! (This is a quick list of events — feel free to add additional ones in the comments!)

United Kingdom

The event scheduled so far that will undoubtedly get the most press is the Duchess of Cambridge’s upcoming visit to Malta. Kate’s visit, on September 20th and 21st, will be part of the celebrations of the nation’s 50th anniversary of independence. But other British royals will also be making international trips. The Earl and Countess of Wessex will be in Canada for an extended tour from September 12-20, and Princess Anne will head to Africa at the end of September, with scheduled trips to Ethiopia and Tanzania. No word yet on whether any foreign heads of state will be visiting Britain this fall, though usually there is an incoming state visit held in October or November.


The Netherlands

The annual state opening of the Dutch parliament will be held on September 16; the event has an unusual gowns-and-hats daytime dress code, so get excited for that. There are also two state visits on the books for the Dutch royals this fall. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will visit the Japanese imperial family from October 27-31, and then they will move on to Korea for a second state visit from November 2-4.

Denmark

Edward and Sophie aren’t the only royals who will be in Canada in September: Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark will make an official visit to Ottawa and Toronto on September 17-19. There are also two big events scheduled so far for October: the opening of Parliament, and a state visit to Croatia by Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik on October 21-24.

Sweden

The Swedish royal family will be attending the Polar Music Prize ceremony in Stockholm on August 26; except for Carl Philip and Sofia, the entire family is scheduled to be there. The opening of the Swedish parliament takes place the following month, on September 30. Looking further ahead, you can also mark down December 10, the date of the annual Nobel Prize ceremony.

Norway

The Norwegian royals are kicking off state visit season early this year, welcoming the president of Estonia to Oslo from September 2-4. And like the Swedes, the Norwegians already have an annual Nobel event on the schedule: the Peace Prize will be awarded on December 10.



Monaco

November 19 is Monaco’s National Day, and the event is generally celebrated with both day and evening events, including a gala. As Princess Charlene is apparently due to give birth at the end of the year, we’ll see whether she attends this year’s celebrations.

Which upcoming royal event are you most looking forward to? And which royal jewels do you hope will be worn?

The Poltimore Tiara

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On this day in 1930, a British princess was born. Margaret Rose, the younger daughter of George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, made her debut on August 21 at Glamis Castle, one of the ancestral homes of her mother’s family. Today would have been her 84th birthday, and in her honor, we’re devoting our discussion to the grandest of all her jewels: the Poltimore tiara.

If ever there was a tiara match made in heaven, it was Princess Margaret and this whopper of a tiara. The Poltimore, with its floral and scroll elements, may not have been made for Margaret’s swinging ’60s beehive hairdo, but when the two came together, it was tiara kismet.

The tiara gets its name from its original owner: Florence Bampfylde, Lady Poltimore. It was made for Lady Poltimore by Garrard around 1870, and it can be either worn as a tiara or broken down into a necklace and a whopping eleven brooches. As a tiara, it can also be worn in its full glory or in a slightly smaller version. That’s a seriously convertible sparkler.

Margaret, the wife of the 3rd Baron Poltimore, wore the tiara at the 1911 coronation. Lady Poltimore’s grandson, the 4th Baron Poltimore, offered the tiara for sale at auction in 1959. Princess Margaret, who would marry Antony Armstrong-Jones (later Earl of Snowdon) the following year, snapped it up for a mere £5,500. She wore the tiara, which is actually a completely closed circlet, at her wedding.

Even though she wore other tiaras throughout her life, the Poltimore became the diadem most closely associated with her. Her husband even famously photographed her wearing it in her bathtub!

Margaret died in 2002, and by 2006, her two children were facing a massive estate tax bill. Along with quite a few of Margaret’s other jewels (though not all of her tiaras, it should be noted), the Poltimore was auctioned at Christie’s in London that July.

The high end of the auction estimate was set at about $350,000, but it ended up selling to a private buyer for a staggering $1.7 million. A fittingly grandiose price for an absolutely stupendously grand tiara, if you ask me.