5 royal engagement rings we love
From Princess Eugenie's Padparadscha sapphire to Wallis Simpson’s sparkling emerald, royal engagement rings have always inspired us. Here are our top 5 royal ring moments that we love.
1. Princess Eugenie’s Padparadscha Sapphire Engagement Ring
Princess Eugenie’s Padparadscha engagement ring is a very unique ring that we absolutely love. First of all, the pink-tinted stone itself is extremely unusual and is actually one of the rarest gemstones on the planet, which usually come from Sri Lanka. To be named a Padparadscha, the gem should exhibit both pink and orange colours. For most sapphires, the more saturated the colour, the more expensive the gem. Princess Eugenie’s hits the perfect balance of tones between both colours. The flower shape of her ring is also one that adds to its special quality – a truly mesmerising combination.
2. Princess Diana's Sapphire Ring
Princess Diana’s instantly identifiable sapphire engagement ring may be one of the most recognisable pieces of jewellery in history. Her ring is said to have paid tribute to a sapphire-and-diamond brooch Queen Victoria received from Prince Albert as a wedding present that she wore on her wedding day as her ‘something blue’. A 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire surrounded with 14 solitaire diamonds and set in 18-carat white gold, her choice of engagement ring was said to have raised eyebrows in the royal family at the time, who traditionally wore one-of-a-kind custom-made styles. This style of ring went on to be widely imitated, with brides of today still often opting for a gemstone ring rather than a diamond, showing that Diana is still the ultimate influencer.
3. Wallis Simpson's Emerald Ring
Wallis Simpson’s dramatic sparkling 19.77 carat emerald ring is now worth an estimated £1.8 million. The rectangular emerald flanked by diamond baguettes was made by one of their favourite jewels, Cartier. Not only was emerald a daring choice for Wallis Simpson to have as an engagement ring during that era, it also had several sentimental touches making it truly unique to her. The phrase ‘We are ours now 27 X 36’ engraved on the interior of the classic platinum band bears the date of the proposal, the 27th October, 1936.
4. Queen Margrethe of Denmark's toi et moi Ring
We couldn’t help but mention Margrethe’s toi et moi style ring of two square-cut diamonds set in yellow gold. Toi et moi translates as ‘you and me’ in French, and these rings always have two gemstones usually set on the end of a ring which coils around the finger. With the trend of these rings shooting up for 2022, we’re seeing many couples combining contrasting cuts and shapes of diamonds rather than a more traditional option of matching size and cuts.
5. Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco's Emerald-Cut Ring
Grace Kelly’s ring was a platinum Cartier ring with an emerald-cut diamond of more than 10 carats flanked by baguettes on either side. Prince Rainier III of Monaco instantly fell for the American beauty and proposed just 3 days after visiting her at her Philadelphia home. Grace Kelly wore the ring in the MGM publicity photographs in her final film High Society and it rapidly became one of the most famous engagement rings in the world.
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WITH LOVE
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