The Queen Mother & Queen Elizabeth II: Royal engagement rings contrast
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Queen Elizabeth II got engaged to Prince Philip in 1947, and the Queen Mother in 1923 to King George VI. Maxwell Stone, leading diamond expert at jewellers Steven Stone, spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk about the two royal women’s rings, and whether the pair’s style is like mother, like daughter – or worlds apart.
Maxwell began: “The Queen Mother originally received a sapphire engagement ring, however in 1946, she completely swapped this out for a large pearl ring surrounded by diamonds set on a yellow gold band.“
Clearly a woman who knew what she wanted, not only did the Queen Mother drastically alter the engagement ring, she only agreed to marry her second husband after he proposed a third time.
Her original engagement ring was a Kashmir sapphire with diamond accents.
The National Sapphire company stated: “Kashmir sapphires are valued as significantly as they are because they contain only the best specimens.
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“These specimens are noted to have a superior cornflower blue tint with a sleepy quality to them. Most describe them as ‘blue velvet’.
“While some Burmese and Ceylonese sapphires come relatively close in quality, only the Kashmir Sapphire continues its reign of King of the Sapphire World.”
Princess Diana was another British royal who boasted a beautiful sapphire engagement ring, which now sits on the finger of Kate Middleton.
At the time, the sale of blue sapphires increased globally by around 300 percent, and sales continue to surge “thanks to Netflix show The Crown”, according to experts at Steven Stone.
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However, despite its “almost mythical allure”, the Queen Mother did not feel that the sapphire was a perfect fit for her, so swapped it out for a pearl on a gold band.
“We don’t know why the Queen Mother swapped her ring, however, what we do know is that she had a love for bold jewellery that was both elegant and stylish.”
Maxwell added: “The updated ring is stunning and definitely makes a statement.”
Her daughter’s engagement ring is much more typical, featuring “11 white diamonds of the highest quality, a 3ct round solitaire and five smaller stones set on each shoulder”.
While the Queen Mother’s is more eccentric, our current monarch’s is “much more traditional, featuring white diamonds, rather than gemstones or pearls”.
In terms of monetary value, while the Queen Mother’s is perhaps more unique and eye-catching, Queen Elizabeth II’s is much pricier.
Maxwell stated: “The sapphire ring the Queen Mother originally received would have no doubt had a much higher value than the pearl ring she replaced it with, which has an estimated value of around £20,000.”
As for her daughter’s ring: “After taking a close look, I estimate it is likely to be worth around £207,000 on today’s market, however, this is likely to increase overtime, thanks to the remarkable royal who wears it.”
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