Princess Catherine of Wales and Her Dazzling Jewels

Twelve carats of blue sapphire, on Catherine's finger, every single day, Princess Diana's engagement ring, but that's not all. 105 diamonds around her neck, the Queen Mother's wedding gift from 1947, and a brooch from 1863, 161 years old. Queen Alexandra's three feathers, three pieces, three generations of queens, from Diana to the Queen Mother to Queen Alexandra. Catherine wears them all, stay with me. I'm going to show you the history, the gemstones, the craftsmen who made them, and what they reveal about Catherine's place in royal history. Today I'm taking you through three of Catherine's most significant pieces, each one a masterpiece of jewellery craftsmanship, each one tells part of Catherine's story. From Princess of Wales to future Queen, let me show you every detail. Let's start with the piece Catherine wears every single day, Princess Diana's sapphire engagement ring. This ring was created in 1981 by Garrard & Company. Garrard was the crown jeweller from 1843 to 2007. Prince Charles commissioned the ring as an engagement gift for Lady Diana Spencer, but here's what made this ring controversial at the time. Diana selected it herself from Garrard's existing stock collection. It wasn't custom made, it wasn't bespoke, it was part of their catalogue. Anyone with £28,000 in 1981 could have bought the exact same design. Royal engagement rings were traditionally custom creations, one of a kind pieces designed specifically for the bride, but Diana wanted this ring, so Charles bought it for her. Now let me describe the ring in detail. The centre stone is a 12 carat oval blue sapphire. This is a Ceylon sapphire, they're known for their vivid cornflower blue colour, highly saturated, excellent clarity. The sapphire is cut in an oval brilliant cut. Now surrounding the centre sapphire are 14 solitaire diamonds. The 14 diamonds form a cluster setting around the sapphire. The entire ring is set in 18 carat white gold. The cluster setting was inspired by a brooch Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria in 1840. That brooch featured a large sapphire surrounded by diamonds in a similar arrangement. So Diana's ring connected to royal history even though it came from a catalogue. In 1981 the ring cost £28,000, that's about $60,000 at the time. Today the materials alone, a 12 carat Ceylon sapphire and one carat of high quality diamonds would be worth approximately £100,000 to £150,000. But with Diana's provenance, with the history, the ring is valued at £300,000 to £400,000. Diana wore this ring from February 1981 until her death in August 1997, 16 years. It was on her finger in thousands of photographs. After Diana died, her personal jewellery was divided between her two sons, William and Harry. Initially Prince Harry had the ring and he reportedly allowed Prince William to use the ring for his engagement. On 20th October 2010, by a secluded lake, William proposed and Catherine said yes. The ring fit perfectly, no resizing needed, as if it was meant to be. The engagement was announced publicly on November 16th 2010. During the announcement interview, William explained his choice. It was my way to make sure my mother didn't miss out on today and the excitement, and the fact that we're going to spend the rest of our lives together. The ring represents Diana's love story, her joy, her tragedy, and now it represents Catherine's story, her marriage, her future as a queen. The sapphire hasn't changed, the diamonds haven't changed, but the meaning has evolved. From Diana's engagement in 1981 to Catherine's engagement in 2010. Now let me tell you about Catherine's signature necklace, the piece she wears more than any other, the George VI festoon necklace. This necklace was created in 1947 by Garrard and Company. It was commissioned by King George VI as a wedding gift for his daughter. Princess Elizabeth II was married to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten on November 20th 1947. George VI wanted to give his daughter something spectacular. He went to Garrard. He asked them to create a necklace using diamonds from the royal collection. Queen Mary, George's mother, had an enormous jewellery collection, hundreds of pieces. Garrard took diamonds from one of Queen Mary's older pieces. The necklace design is called a festoon style. Festoon means a decorative chain or garland. In jewellery it refers to This necklace has three parallel strands of diamonds. The three strands are connected at intervals by vertical diamond bars. Between each vertical bar the diamond strands drape downward in elegant swags. The swags are engineered to hang naturally when worn. The weight distribution had to be perfect. The necklace contains 105 diamonds total, 95 brilliant cut diamonds and then there are 10 baguette cut diamonds. These are rectangular step cut diamonds. The baguette diamonds are set in the vertical bars. All 105 diamonds are set in platinum. The necklace is a choker style. It sits high on the neck. Each diamond is individually set. Each swag had to be engineered to drape correctly. The clasp is concealed at the back. A secure platinum mechanism that's invisible when worn. Garrard completed the necklace in time for the November 1947 wedding. Princess Elizabeth received it from her father on her wedding day. She wore it frequently throughout her reign as Queen. In the 1950s you see it in official portraits. In the 1960s and 70s at state banquets and at diplomatic receptions. It was one of Queen Elizabeth's favourite pieces. Princess Catherine wore this piece for the coronation portrait of King Charles III in May 2023. The necklace has become one of Princess Catherine's favourites. Why? Because it's elegant without being overwhelming. Because it suits her classic timeless style perfectly. Because it photographs beautifully. The three strands catch the light. The swags create movement. The necklace is estimated to be worth £500,000 to £750,000 today. But the sentimental value is priceless. Finally, let me tell you about a piece that represents over 600 years of tradition. Queen Alexandra's three feather brooch. This brooch was given to Princess Alexandra of Denmark on her wedding day, March 10th 1863. Alexandra was 18 years old. She was marrying Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. Albert Edward was 21. He would later become King Edward VII. Among Alexandra's wedding gifts was this spectacular diamond brooch, three ostrich feathers, rendered entirely in diamonds. The three feather symbol is the heraldic badge of the Prince of Wales. This symbol has been used since 1376. Edward of Woodstock, known as the Black Prince, was the first Prince of Wales to use the three ostrich feathers. The feathers are always shown with a small crown or coronet above them, and below the motto Ich dien, German for I serve. For over 600 years, this has been the symbol of every Prince of Wales. Alexandra's brooch was made to represent this ancient symbol. We don't know exactly which jeweller created it. The records from 1863 don't specify. But it was likely a British jeweller, possibly Garrard, possibly Hunt and Roskell, another prominent royal jeweller of the era. The brooch has three feathers arranged side by side. The centre feather is slightly taller than the outer two. Each feather has a central spine. From that spine, individual barbs radiate outward, just like a real ostrich feather. Every part of every feather is set with diamonds. The diamonds are old minecut and rosecut. Old minecut diamonds are an older cutting style, popular from the 1700s to the 1800s. They have a cushion shape, larger facets, a smaller table, a higher crown. Rosecut diamonds are even older. They have a flat bottom and a domed top covered in triangular facets. The combination of old minecuts and rosecuts was typical of Victorian era jewellery. The setting is silver topped gold. This was the standard technique for diamond jewellery in the Victorian era. The diamonds are set in silver. Silver provides a white metal appearance that makes the diamonds look brighter. But silver is soft, so the back of the setting is gold. Gold provides strength and prevents the silver from tarnishing. Above the three feathers sits a small diamond coronet, a crown with points. The coronet is also entirely diamond set. The brooch measures approximately two and a half to three inches tall, two inches wide. On the back is a traditional C-clasp and pin stem. This allows the brooch to be pinned to clothing. The craftsmanship is extraordinary. Each individual barb on each feather had to be hand set with diamonds. The feathers had to be constructed in three dimensions, not flat. They have depth and texture. This level of detail required master jewellers working for weeks, possibly months. Queen Alexandra wore this brooch from 1863 until her death in 1925. 62 years. She wore it on dresses, on coats, even pinned to hats. When Alexandra died in 1925, the brooch passed to Queen Mary. Queen Mary wore it occasionally. She had so many brooches that no single piece dominated. Then it passed to Queen Elizabeth II. Princess Diana wore Queen Alexandra's brooch during her time as Princess of Wales. Queen Camilla wore the brooch while she was the Duchess of Cornwall, and now Catherine wears it. Catherine's first documented wearing was in November 2022 during the state visit of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to the UK. She always pins it to her left shoulder. This is traditional placement for formal brooches. The brooch represents Catherine's position as Princess of Wales. The same title Alexandra held. The same title Diana held. The three feathers represent the William. And the motto Ic Din, I serve, represents Catherine's understanding of her role. She serves the monarchy. She serves the British people. She serves the future. One symbol. Multiple generations. Same duty. The brooch is estimated to be worth £150,000 to £250,000. But the historical value is immeasurable. This is one of the oldest pieces in active use by the royal family. 161 years. Still worn. Still meaningful. Still representing the same ancient symbol. Queen Alexandra's three feather brooch is Catherine's connection to over six centuries of royal tradition. And she wears it with pride. Catherine, Princess of Wales, wears jewellery that connects her to the deepest roots of royal history. Princess Diana's sapphire engagement ring, the George VI festoon necklace, and Queen Alexandra's three feather brooch. These aren't just beautiful pieces. They're history, craftsmanship, legacy. And Catherine wears them all with grace, dignity and understanding. Here's my question for you. Which piece do you think defines Catherine best? The sapphire ring she wears every day? The festoon necklace that's become her signature? Or the three feather brooch that represents duty and service? Let me know in the comments. And if you love discovering the verified facts, the gemstones, the history behind royal jewellery, subscribe and hit that notification bell. Thanks for watching. I'll see you in the next one.