A famous sapphire

One of the most well-known sapphires in Western popular culture is the engagement ring that belonged to Princess Diana of Wales and is now being worn by Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.

The ring features an approximately 12 carat oval blue sapphire (the actual size of the stone has never been made public), surrounded by 14 round brilliant cut diamonds. The stones are all claw set to create a delicate design.

The ring that Diana chose from Garrard’s Jewellers when Charles proposed, had only 8 claws on the sapphire (2 on each corner) as seen in this close-up photo, however more claws were added later, which you can see in the top image, possibly to make the sapphire more secure.

It’s reported that after Diana’s funeral, her two sons were asked to choose a momento each to remind them of their mother – Harry chose the engagement ring, while William chose her watch. Apparently, the boys had an agreement that whoever became engaged first would use the ring, which is how Katherine Middleton became the lucky owner of this special ring.

Since the royal engagement in 2012, there has been a resurgence in popularity of sapphire and diamond cluster-style engagement rings around the world, though few would be as valuable as the original – while the ring was reportedly purchased by Charles for £28,000, its value has now skyrocketed to over £300,000.

Photo credits:

Diana www.ringswithlove.com.au

Duchess of Cambridge www.pinterest.com

Rings www.dianasjewels.net