Camilla Parker Bowles' emerald-cut engagement ring gifted by Prince Charles has an interesting history to it
Camilla Parker Bowles was on royal duty as she attended the Royal Society of Literature's "40 under 40" without Prince Charles by her side. The Duchess of Cornwall was seen signing books and also spoke in front of an audience full of many awe-struck writers. However, a tiny thing on her person became the show stealer - it was a ring given to her by Prince Charles.
It is reported that the gems that Prince Charles used to propose to Camilla can actually be traced back to the Queen Mother herself. During the mid-1980s, Queen Elizabeth was seen wearing the flashy jewel at an evening event. This was not the engagement ring that was gifted to her from King George VI and it is not known how exactly she even acquired the exquisite piece.
The ring has an art-deco design and also features a five-carat emerald-cut diamond in the center which is paired with a modest gold wedding band and three diamond baguettes on each side. A gemologist from Prestige Pawnbrokers, Deborah Papa shared with Metro that she estimates the value of the ring to be around $288,000. According to another report, this is just one of the many pieces that Camilla owns from the Queen mother's collection.
"Whilst a little bit of difference in the quality can make a big difference in the price; I would imagine such an important piece of the Royal Family’s historic jewellery collection, would be of very high quality and emerald-cuts tend to be high clarity due to their 'transparent' appearance and less of the “sparkle” seen in a brilliant-cut diamond," Deborah continued. "After Charles and Diana’s wedding, the Queen received just over an ounce further of the rare Clogau gold so that future wedding rings could be made for the Royal family".
Camilla has also been seen wearing the Greville Tiara which is another piece passed down from Charles' grandma. It has been around 13 years since Prince Charles and Camilla got married but the beautiful ring does not seem to have lost any of its sparkle or charm.
In comparison to Camilla's ring, when Prince Charles was proposing to Princess Diana, the Princess of Wales was gifted a stunning sapphire engagement ring. In fact, that ring was so beautiful that Princess Diana's son, Prince William went on to propose to Kate Middleton with the very ring following Princess Diana's tragic death in the year 1997. Princess Diana's ring was created by royal jeweler Garrard & Co Ltd and featured 14 solitaire diamonds which surround a Sri Lankan 12-carat oval faceted blue Ceylon sapphire.
Diana and Kate's ring was not custom made like all the royal rings and it was actually in Gerrard’s jewelry collection, available for anyone to buy at the time of Diana’s proposal. Princess Diana had chosen it as she thought it was beautiful and many believe that it was also because it reminded her of her mother Frances Shand-Kydd's own ring. "Coloured gemstones are becoming more popular again. They had their boom in the early eighties when Prince Charles and the then Lady Diana Spencer became engaged," Papas said.
"The ring renewed a sales boom in sapphire and diamond rings in 2010 when the royal couple became engaged. "The ring worn in memory of Prince William’s mother was originally valued at £28,000 in 1981; today the ring is estimated to have an insurance value of approximately £300,000," she continued. When you consider the history and sentimental value of Diana's ring, one cannot put a price on it.
"Just as the Queen’s wedding ring is made up of Clogau gold from a gifted nugget from the mine, wedding rings for Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, and Princess Diana were too and they hold the same value," she added. "The Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding ring was also made from Welsh gold that has been in the family for years that was given to Prince William from the Queen after the couple announced their engagement. With Kate’s ring, however, it’s hard to establish if it was made purely from the famous Clogau mined gold, making its total value hard to estimate".
When it comes to Queen Elizabeth's ring, it is believed that Prince Phillip himself designed the ring with the help of jeweler Philip Antrobus Ltd. It was made in London and features a 3ct ‘old cut’ diamond set in a traditional claw setting in platinum. "Queen Elizabeth’s engagement ring stays away from the colored gemstones that future generations have. ‘Her majesty’s ring is more likely to be in the price bracket of £200,000," Papas shared.
"The value of the Welsh gold rings depends on the weight and purity of the told used. The Queen’s wedding band is reported to have a purity of 87.5%, which would make it 21ct gold. A 3mm band could be worth around £1,500 – £2,000. This will be less if the bands were made in 18ct gold but I would not anticipate any lower in purity would be made for the Royal family’s rings," Deborah continued.