When we talk about Princess Diana’s sapphires, the first one that comes to mind is her engagement ring, which years later was given by her son William to his fiancée, Kate Middleton. The princess chose it from a Garrard jewelry catalog, when the tradition of the British royal family dictated that an exclusive commission be made.
This oval blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds weighs 12 carats, and the princess was clear about it from the start. Perhaps because of the stone’s meaning—representing wisdom, nobility and fidelity—or because it reminded her of the one her mother, Frances Shand-Kydd, received for her own wedding. Sapphires are, moreover, one of the British royal family’s favorite stones. Prince Albert gave a large brooch with this gem surrounded by diamonds to his wife, Queen Victoria, on her wedding day, February 10, 1850.
However, there exists a spectacular set of sapphires, which Princess Diana also received on her wedding to the Prince of Wales in 1981. These sapphires were a gift from then-Heir Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia and were a creation of the London jewelry house Asprey. The set, known as the Saudi Suite, comprises a necklace, earrings, a watch, a ring and a bracelet, which rest in Diana’s jewelry box. The current Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, has not yet worn any of these pieces.
A necklace and a pair of earrings
The necklace and the earrings Diana wore on numerous occasions. These two pieces of the collection were not altered; unlike other pieces from the set. The necklace is made up of a fine diamond choker from which hangs a huge Burmese sapphire set in an irregular band of baguette-cut diamonds.
The earrings are short, stud-style, matching the ring, and the bracelet is formed by two rows of brilliant-cut diamonds with a central stone smaller than the sapphire pendant; and the wristwatch has a dial also set in a band of diamonds and a strap made up of seven oval sapphires set in several groups of diamonds. This watch was a Lady Kalla by Vacheron Constantin.
Diana de Gales luciendo el conjunto de Suite Saudí, mientras bailaba con el entonces príncipe Carlos de Inglaterra, en 1983.
The then Princess of Wales debuted the large Saudi sapphire from the necklace at a dinner in December 1981. From then on, Diana wore the Saudi Suite set frequently on her official trips, combining the pieces in various ways, even with her family’s Spencer tiara, as she did at a gala dinner in Canberra and a reception in Brisbane during her 1983 tour of Australia.
The jewelry she wore most were the necklace and the earrings. She chose this set for Queen Elizabeth’s 60th birthday celebration, in London, in 1986. The last time she was seen with the Saudi Suite jewels was in 1987, when the Princess danced with Prince Charles of Wales at the Hyatt Hotel in Melbourne, a ball that made headlines around the world.
A very special choker
The Saudi set, however, does not seem to have remained the same over the years, though it is not clear whether this was the case. It is believed that Diana modified the watch to fashion a pair of earrings and a choker that she also used as a headband. However, in 1996, Diana appeared wearing the watch and bracelet of the set. It seems that that choker-headband was made from the watch gifted by a sheikha of the United Arab Emirates, although the origin of the central stone remains unknown, which Diana wore as a choker and across the forehead.
The bracelet was not reworked either. However, there are no images of Diana wearing the ring on her fingers, but as the centerpiece of the choker-headband. But, there are some experts who claim that the gem from the ring was used to replace the watch’s dial and turn it into a second bracelet, with which the princess was photographed shortly before her death, in 1996.
Diana de Gales llevando los pendientes en una visita oficial a Viena.
There is also a third spectacular sapphire still hidden in Diana’s jewelry box: the brooch given to her by the Queen Mother for her wedding. Diana placed it at the center of a seven-strand pearl necklace. The sapphire is surrounded by diamonds and became one of the princess’s favorite adornments, which Kate has not worn yet. But what about the sapphire earrings that belonged to Diana and that Kate Middleton has worn on numerous occasions? They are said to form part of the Saudi Suite—and two sapphires were added to the bottom.
They are composed of a cabochon sapphire surrounded by eight diamonds, and a larger cabochon sapphire surrounded by nine diamonds, and which Diana had made using several stones from the Saudi Suite watch. Yet, the ones Kate has worn appear not to be the same as Diana’s, though they look very similar.
These sapphire earrings Diana wore for the first time in the mid-1980s, along with her sapphire necklace on a visit to Vienna. She also wore them in numerous portraits. They were the ones she wore in the Patrick Demarchelier photo session in 1994, taken on her 33rd birthday, and which appeared on the July cover of British Vogue. Kate wore hers at the Trooping the Colour ceremony in 2022, at the Earthshot Awards ceremony in Boston. It is not easy to know if they belong to Diana, because the princess had a large collection of sapphires and several similar earrings.
