Princess Eugenie Has the Rarest Royal Engagement Ring With Sapphires More Scarce Than Diamonds
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary on October 12. The couple tied the knot in 2018 in a grand ceremony at St. George’s Chapel with a guest list of over 850 people. On her special day, Eugenie borrowed some expensive jewelry from her grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. She also wore one of the rarest royal engagement rings, with sapphires more scarce than diamonds.
Princess Eugenie borrowed a million-dollar tiara for her wedding day
When Eugenie married her longtime boyfriend on October 12, 2018, she wore the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara that she borrowed from Queen Elizabeth. Worth more than $1 million, the most valuable royal tiara is made of rose-cut pave diamonds, set in platinum, and adorned with six emeralds. The feature that makes the tiara so valuable is the 93.7-carat cabochon-cut emerald in the center.
The tiara was made by Boucheron for famous society hostess Dame Margaret Helen Greville in 1919. She bequeathed the magnificent piece to the Queen Mother in 1942, and Queen Elizabeth inherited it in 2002. However, no member of the royal family had worn the tiara in public until Eugenie’s wedding.
“The Princess surprised us all by not wearing her mother’s tiara – instead opting to borrow the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara from her grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II,” jeweler Maxwell Stone revealed.
She has the rarest royal engagement ring, with sapphires more scarce than diamonds
The princess also wore diamond and cabochon emerald earrings, which were a gift from her new husband. The glamorous drop-style earrings feature 1.5-carat cabochon green emeralds surrounded by seven round brilliant diamonds. According to the fine jewelry experts at UK retailer Steven Stone, the earrings are worth approximately $7,743 (£7,000).
Following royal family tradition, Eugenie’s wedding ring was made from a piece of Welsh gold given by Queen Elizabeth. Members of the royal family have used gold to create their wedding band since the Queen Mother married the Duke of York — who eventually became King George VI — in 1923.
Most royal wedding rings are thought to be fashioned from gold that was part of the sovereign’s personal collection from the Clogau St. David Gold Mine in Dolgellau, Wales. As for Eugenie’s engagement ring, she has the rarest one among royals. It features padparadscha sapphires, which are rarer than diamonds.
Many people haven’t heard of the sapphires featured on Princess Eugenie’s engagement ring
“Eugenie’s engagement ring was visible on her right hand – featuring an incredibly rare pink padparadscha sapphire, surrounded by a halo of sparkling diamonds, Eugenie’s engagement ring is by far the rarest royal engagement ring,” Stone explained.
“Padparadscha sapphires are so rare in fact that many people haven’t heard of them – they’re strikingly beautiful with unique shades of pink and orange that often resemble the colors of a sunset.”
The jeweler estimates the rare engagement ring to be worth $132k (£120k), and notes that it bears a resemblance to her mother, Sarah Ferguson’s, engagement ring that featured a Burmese ruby surrounded by diamonds.
