Princess Diana's engagement ring reimagined

The Crown is entering its final season and is bowing out with a series featuring intimate, early details of the relationship between Prince William and Princess Catherine. With the fifth season streamed for over 107 million hours and reaching the top 10 in 88 countries, the final season is expected to be just as popular.

But, what we can also assume from the final series of The Crown is that we’ll see some iconic jewels and, perhaps, a glimpse of the proposal between Wills and Kate.

Interestingly, the ring from the proposal has been subject to recent debate. Arguably one of the most iconic rings in the world, the 18-carat white gold ring with a 12-carat sapphire was presented to her in 2010. However, it was recently reported by sources that Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex had requested that very engagement ring for his future bride.

While he did gift his bride, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex with an engagement ring consisting of selected diamonds from Diana’s collection, it got us thinking.

What could two engagement rings - made from Diana’s iconic ring - look like? This ring is not for sale and is a concept for what such a ring could look like.

Experts redesign Diana’s engagement ring for Prince William and Prince Harry

Our engagement ring specialists have redesigned Diana’s engagement ring based on the cut, carat and style of both Princess Catherine and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

A princess cut for Princess Catherine

Catherine’s style is notably timeless and elegant; the foundation for her ‘new’ engagement ring.

Catherine has previously favoured silver, platinum and white gold jewellery, therefore, we opted for a white gold band. This also matches one of her other iconic jewels, her eternity ring. But what you will notice is the band. We have chosen to commemorate the length of her and Wills’ marriage with an infinity-style band.

The centre of the engagement ring is, of course, the dazzling Ceylon sapphire, but in the shape of a princess cut - which appears square at first glance but is shaped similar to a pyramid - at 6-carat (exactly half of the original 12-carat) to honour her status as the nation’s princess.

Surrounding the sapphire are prong settings reminiscent of the tiaras she has worn in the past.

Of course, it would be remiss of us not to include the brilliant, solitaire diamonds that feature in her current engagement ring. For our design, we have opted for eight round diamonds (the exact number to match the length of their relationship before he proposed), with six lying in wait around the sapphire. The additional two solitaire diamonds are set within the band of the ring as a direct nod to how Catherine resized Diana’s engagement ring.

Going gold for Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

While Prince Harry did propose to Meghan with gemstones from his mother’s collection, we have created this unique engagement ring befitting Megan’s modern and sophisticated style.

Catching the eye is, of course, the iconic Ceylon sapphire (split for both Meghan and Catherine) in the shape of a pear or teardrop. This shape, in particular, has been used as it symbolises a strong and confident individual.

As Meghan tends to lend to more simple pieces, we kept the band in solid, yellow gold as a direct reference to her current, beloved ring. However, we did include two small pear sapphires on either side to represent her two young children.

Similar to Catherine’s ring, we used six solitaire diamonds compared to Catherine’s eight (Diana’s engagement ring boasts 14 solitaire diamonds). We opted for six as a salute to 2016, the year Harry and Meghan first met.

While these rings are not available for purchase, we will be able to revisit some of Princess Catherine’s iconic fashion moments - including the memorable jewellery - with the reveal of season six.

Princess Catherine’s jewels are worth up to £703,000

Catherine’s engagement ring may be her most famous piece of jewellery but Prince William has gifted her many other items of jewellery fit for a future queen, with an estimated worth of up to £703,436.07. We’ve listed some of her more iconic jewels in the order they were gifted.

Rose gold Victorian ring worth up to £51,048 

Perhaps the first gift from William (that we know of) was the rose gold band, fitted with the birthstones of both Catherine and Wills. The band was gifted to Catherine during their time at university and was worn by her as part of her graduation ceremony. Could this ring be the reason William opted for a gold wedding band?

Diana’s engagement ring worth up to £330,000 

Catherine’s engagement ring is, most likely, one of her most prized possessions. As mentioned above, it is a brilliant blue Ceylon, oval-shaped sapphire set within an 18k white gold band, surrounded by a cluster of 14 round solitaire diamonds.

Our jewellers estimated that it had increased in value each year by 23%, based on its value of £30,000 at initial purchase. This means it's worth up to £330,000 today and likely more due to its history!

Engagement earrings, priced up to £303,810 

Following on from the engagement, Prince William followed suit with a dazzling set of sapphire and diamond earrings. Interestingly, they were also an engagement gift to the late Princess Diana.

The earrings feature one drop with an oval sapphire set in the middle, surrounded by, of course, the solitaire diamonds. These earrings have made multiple appearances, and it’s believed they could be worth up to £303,810 today!

The gold wedding band, value unknown

Following on the heels of the engagement ring is Catherine’s wedding ring. William went traditional with this yellow gold ring, made from the family’s very own collection of yellow gold. It follows a similar style to the wedding ring of the late Queen Elizabeth II and is often the only ring taking centre stage on her wedding finger. The value of this is, currently, unknown as our jewellery experts cannot estimate it without the carat.

Christmas earrings priced at £2,600 

After the wedding, William surprised Catherine with a pair of amethyst earrings for their first official Christmas as husband and wife. The earrings featured 5k oval, green amethyst stones, set into 18k gold. Unusually, the amethyst stones in these earrings are green instead of purple. These, however, are one of Catherine’s more conservative jewels, priced at around £2,600.

You can buy Catherine’s eternity ring for £1,200  

Finalising the trilogy of rings on Catherine’s wedding finger is the eternity ring. The diamond eternity ring was gifted to Catherine after the birth of her first child, George. The ring is crafted from 18k white gold, with bright, brilliant 0.23k diamonds set within the band. It often sits alongside her wedding ring, so you have likely spotted the jewellery. What’s more surprising about this ring is that an exact replica can be bought for £1,200.

Green amethysts worth up to £13,000  for the birth of her first daughter

After the birth of their first daughter, William gifted Catherine with another pair of amethyst earrings valued at up to £13,478.07. Made to order, the earrings are set in 18k yellow gold, with green amethysts suspended from green tourmalines.

Birthday necklace for £1,300 

The gold Midnight Moon necklace features G, C and L initials for her children and was a gift for Catherine’s 38th birthday. The necklace was designed by British jeweller, Daniella Draper, with Cathering often preferring British designers when it comes to her jewels. This part of her collection is worth an estimated £1,300.

With such an extensive collection of jewellery - often family heirlooms - has Catherine had an effect on our love for vintage jewels?

Searches spike for sapphire and diamond rings

In the last three months, searches for ‘sapphire and diamond rings have increased by 50%, suggesting this could be the trend of proposal season. The Crown has also been at the forefront of our minds for the last three months, which could suggest that the engagement ring is spiking the rise in the demand for sapphire rings.

Neil Dutta, Company Director at Angelic Diamonds, said: “Sapphire rings have always been popular but the resurgence shows that demand is likely to continue. What’s most interesting is that sapphire is one of the rarest gemstones, which could be why it is so popular. Not to mention, the colour is a brilliant contrast to clothing and is always going to make a statement on your finger.”

The same can also be said for eternity rings in the last three months, with searches for ‘diamond eternity ring’ rising by 23% suggesting Catherine’s collection could be inspiring more people as we get closer to watching the relationship between her and William blossom on the show.

Neil also stated: “Eternity rings may have been a thing of the past. But, as many people opt to live together as opposed to wed, the eternity ring is another symbol of lifelong commitment. While people may choose to get wed, they can still signify their commitment with this ring and, of course, own a brilliant piece of jewellery. These days, you don’t have to be married to receive an eternity ring, so we will likely see these continue to spike in popularity.”

If you are interested in more news regarding engagement rings, we have a whole host of guides on tips for proposals and more.