Meghan Markle: Diana’s £ 85,000 aquamarine ring represents ‘sympathy, trust and friendship’
Since her marriage to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle has been pictured wearing numerous items from Princess Diana’s jewelry collection. Arguably two of the Duchess of Sussex’s favorite pieces are the Cartier watch and the Princess of Wales diamond bracelet. Express.co.uk spoke to Steven Stone’s creative director and jewelry designer Maxwell Stone about the Diana items Meghan now owns and the color of the iconic aquamarine ring.
Engagement ring
Steven said: “When Prince Harry proposed in 2017, he presented Meghan with a beautiful three-stone engagement ring, with diamonds from Princess Diana’s jewelry collection.
“Over 18 months later, Meghan made some changes to the ring, replacing the yellow gold band with a dainty diamond-set band instead.
Prince Harry custom designed the ring which features a center cushion-cut diamond from Botswana – a place that holds a special place in the couple’s hearts.
“Botswana’s diamond mining has helped transform Botswana into one of Africa’s most prosperous countries, and Botswana’s diamond mines are dedicated to minimizing their environmental footprint,†he continued.
As for the value of Meghan’s engagement ring, Mawell estimates that the three to four carat stone which is “of extremely high quality with incredible color and clarity, flawless to the naked eye” is rated at around £ 130,000. The two round diamonds supporting the center stone are from Princess Diana’s jewelry collection and weigh approximately 0.5 to 0.75 carats each.
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Butterfly earrings
When Harry and Meghan visited Australia in 2018, Meghan wore Princess Diana’s iconic butterfly earrings.
Maxwell said: “The earrings feature incredible detail to create a beautiful butterfly design.
“The earrings are set with yellow gold and are adorned with approximately 0.6 ct of white diamonds – 0.3 ct in each earring.
“The earrings are worth around £ 5,000, but due to the legacy of the royal women who wore them, this particular pair would likely sell for a lot more.”
Aquamarine ring
Featuring an emerald-cut aquamarine flanked by small solitaire diamonds, the eye-catching aquamarine was gifted to the princess by her friend, Lucia Flecha de Lima, and created as a ring by Asprey in 1996.
The ring’s first appearance came when Diana attended the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute’s fundraising dinner in Sydney in October 1996, a few months after her divorce from Prince Charles. – seems to be too many commas here.
She paired the ring with a matching pearl bracelet, which features a huge aquamarine clasp.
The ring, mounted on a 24-karat yellow gold ring, was passed on to Prince Harry who gave it to Meghan Markle to wear at the couple’s wedding reception.
Maxwell said: “Aquamarine is one of the most visually beautiful gemstones. With an enchanting pale blue color, the ring complimented Diana’s complexion perfectly.
“Now handed down to Meghan Markle from Harry, it’s interesting that the light blue color of Aquamarine symbolizes feelings of sympathy, trust and friendship.
“While the ring is undoubtedly priceless, if it were available for purchase it would be worth between £ 75,000 and £ 85,000.”
Cartier Tank Française watch
Princess Diana was a huge fan of Cartier and was often seen wearing a gold Cartier Tank Française watch, gifted by her father on the occasion of his 21st birthday.
Inherited by Harry, he gave the watch to Meghan, who has also been seen wearing it on numerous occasions, including in a photo taken of her and Harry for Time magazine in 2020.
Maxwell Stone said: “A watch like this is timeless, but it also comes at a steep price.
“Taking into account the designer, model and age of the watch, it is probably worth around £ 17,000 to £ 18,000.”
Diamond Bracelet
When Prince Harry and Meghan sat down to speak to Oprah Winfrey earlier this year, the Duchess was seen wearing a sparkling diamond tennis bracelet that once belonged to her late mother-in-law.
Apparently by French luxury brand Cartier, the item has been worn in public by Diana on several occasions, and Harry is believed to have taken stones from the same bracelet to create the engagement ring he proposed to Meghan with in 2017.
Maxwell said, “This diamond bracelet is effortlessly beautiful.
“It’s a classic tennis bracelet or a line bracelet, made up of alternating white diamonds.
“Diamonds alternate in sizes, with larger stones (0.45 ct) sitting next to smaller stones (0.3 ct).”
As for the coin’s current value, Maxwell revealed: “A bracelet like this could be worth up to £ 30,000.”
In total, the six items in Princess Diana’s jewelry collection, which Meghan owns, are valued at £ 293,000.