express– Prince William proposed to Kate in 2010, when he presented her with a sapphire from his late mother, Princess Diana which is worth around £390,000. Pippa Middleton’s £250,000 engagement ring is a three carats diamond surrounded by an octagonal halo of smaller gems. According to an expert, one is more “iconic” than the other. Which one?
The Duchess of Cambridge’s ring is a 12 carats Ceylon blue sapphire which belonged to Princess Diana.
Pippa’s engagement ring is a three carats Asscher cut diamond worth £250,000.
Diamond expert and head of design at 77 Diamonds, Charlotte White, explained that while “engagement ring styles are a matter of personal taste, both sisters’ rings sparked an upswing in demand for their respective styles.”
Both rings are sophisticated, elegant and captivating and “the styles of both these substantial and stylish rings have a vintage, sophisticated feel to them.”
However, she explained that while Pippa’s might be a more classic and traditional “princess-style” ring, coloured gemstones have played a “central role” in royal engagement ring designs.
“You could say that Pippa’s all-diamond ring is a more traditional choice for a princess, but it’s not completely clear cut, excuse the pun!
“When you consider royal choices for engagement rings, from Camilla, to Zara Phillips, Beatrice and even Charlene of Monaco and Meghan, they all opted for diamond-only styles.
“But from Princess Diana, and hence Kate, to Sarah Ferguson and Eugenie, richly coloured gemstones have played a central role in all these royal women’s glamorous engagement ring designs,” Charlotte explained.
The diamond expert said Pippa’s “striking” ring suits her personality and the size of the magnificent stone and its royal link compete with her sister’s ring. However, the Duchess of Cambridge owns an absolute “priceless” piece.
She explained: “Pippa’s striking art deco-inspired ring does make a bold statement, partly thanks to its sheer size.
“The Asscher cut diamond has a royal origin” as in 1980, the queen of the Netherlands “granted the company her royal predicate, allowing the family business to be renamed the Royal Asscher Diamond Company.”
“Some have suggested there exists some one-upmanship between the sisters but ultimately Kate’s ring is a ring brimming with royal history and could be said to be priceless.
“Kate’s ring is a spectacular, beautiful, and large engagement ring which is instantly recognisable and the honour of wearing that legendary jewel is something myriads of women could only dream of,” she said.
Charlotte concluded that Kate’s ring is without a doubt, the most iconic and with more royal history.
“There is no question that, irrespective of price tags and fashion, Kate’s ring is one of the most iconic and well-recognised of our generation, steeped as it is in royal history, even though it was actually a pret-a-porter model, ordered from a Garrard’s catalogue by Diana who chose it in 1981.
“Pippa’s ring on the other hand is a handsome sized, art deco ring with a far more tenuous royal connection of its own,” she explained.
She continued: “What may come as a surprise to some is that the ring which William proposed with after whipping it out of his backpack while the couple holidayed in Mount Kenya enjoys royal associations that date back much further than one generation.
“In 1840, Prince Albert commissioned Garrard to create a sapphire and diamond brooch for his future wife Victoria. Queen Victoria loved it so much that she wore it on her wedding day as her something blue on the front of her dress and would continue to wear it until her husband’s death in 1861.
“In her will, she specified that it would remain a Crown heirloom, ensuring the brooch would always belong to the reigning monarch. The Queen has worn it several times and it has been said by Garrard that this sapphire brooch inspired Prince Charles at the time of choosing a ring for Diana.
“All this means that Prince William will eventually inherit the brooch commissioned by Prince Albert and that perhaps suggests that one day Kate will wear it too.”
