Precious jewellery has always played an important role for royal families, because who else on earth can possess such exquisite jewels if not the regally revered and affluent? Let’s take a look at the most expensive royal jewellery pieces, owned by royals across the globe, from Britain to India.
These unique and astonishingly beautiful jewellery pieces come with a hefty price. While a lot of modern pieces have recorded numbers that exceed millions, some from the ancient eras can be difficult to track. Here are just a few examples of some of the most lavish, for there are many more priceless crafts in the histories of royal families around the world.
7 Most Expensive Royal Jewellery Pieces
The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara
Hailed as one of the most expensive tiaras in the world, the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik was crafted by the jewellery house Boucheron for Margaret Greville, a British society hostess, in 1919. She bequeathed it to Queen Elizabeth II in 1942. The tiara has a huge emerald in the centre and smaller ones on the sides. Made of platinum and gold, it is set with diamonds all over.
Price: USD 12.4 million
Princess Katharina Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Tiara
This statement-making tiara was a gift from the German Prince Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck to his wife Katharina Slepzow. There is a total of 11 pear-shaped emeralds resting on rows of cushion-cut diamonds set in silver and gold. Altogether, they round up to about 500 carats. It was auctioned at Sotheby’s in 2011.
Price: USD 12.7 million
Kate Middleton’s Delhi Durbar Emerald Choker
This emerald choker has seen its best times in the presence of multiple princesses. Originally, it was a gift from the Maharani of Patiala to Queen Mary in 1911, after which she had it remodelled into the current version with 14 emeralds and diamonds placed on platinum. Later on, Queen Elizabeth gave it to Princess Diana as a wedding gift, as often seen at events like the infamous gala dinner in Australia. In recent times, the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, was seen wearing the piece to the Earthshot Prize 2022 in Boston.
Price: USD 20 million
The Patiala Necklace
Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala commissioned Cartier to turn this De Beers diamond, mined in South Africa in 1888, into something spectacular. The result is a ceremonial necklace featuring the world’s seventh largest diamond as the centrepiece, placed along with five platinum chains adorned with 2930 diamonds and Burmese rubies. The Maharaja’s son, Yadavindra Singh, was also seen wearing the necklace.
Price: estimated at USD 30 million
Queen Elizabeth’s Cartier Williamson Diamond Brooch
This precious pink diamond brooch was a wedding present from geologist John Thoburn Williamson to the late Queen Elizabeth, which was completed in her coronation year in 1953. Cartier transformed the 54.5-carat stone to a 23.6-carat jonquil flower-shape brooch with 203 white diamonds. The queen evidently loved it, as she wore it to several big occasions whether at Princess Diana’s wedding or when meeting former US President Obama.
Price: USD 30.5 million
Queen Elizabeth’s Granny’s Chips Brooch
This giant brooch is simply stunning. It features Cullinan diamonds the III and the IV, which were gifted to Queen Mary by the South African government. She then gave the brooch to Queen Elizabeth, who later named it with affection after her grandmother. These Cullinan diamonds are part of the collection cut found in Cullinan. It weighs 3106 carats and was the biggest diamond discovered in the early 20th century.
Price: USD 61 million
Kate Middleton’s Cartier Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace
Kate Middleton appears on the list again with one of the costliest royal jewellery pieces. This glittering necklace was a wedding gift to Queen Elizabeth from the Nizam of Hyderabad of India in 1947. Cartier crafted the necklace with 38 brilliant-cut diamonds, 13 emerald-cut diamonds, and one pear-shaped diamond in the centre.
Price: USD 80 million
(Hero and featured image credit: Markus Spiske/Unsplash)
This article was first published in PrestigeOnline Thailand.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
What is the most expensive royal jewellery piece?
- The most expensive royal jewellery piece is Cartier Nizam of Hyderabad necklace, valued at $80 million. Kate Middleton was seen wearing it recently.
Where do the royals get their jewellery?
- Several valuable jewellery pieces are passed on from generatios to generation. Some royals also receive exquisite pieces as gifts from other countries.
