A Rare Look At The Royal Family’s Most Expensive Jewels

Would you know your demi-parure from your diamond bandeau? Or your amethyst sautoir from your oriental circlet? Those are all specialist jewelry terms and describe some of the fabulous pieces owned by Britain’s royal family. This stunning collection ranges from items hundreds of years old through to contemporary pieces. Let's discover the stories behind the royal family’s most spectacular and most valuable bling, including the crowns that feature at King Charles’ coronation.

30. The Queens four-strand pearl necklace — $30,000+

During her lifetime, the Queen often wore pearls. But one particular necklace with four strands of pearls stood out from her collection. It seems that these pearls came from Japan, possibly as a gift from the government there during a state visit by the Queen in the 1970s. In any case, the pearls were strung by Garrard, a frequent provider of jewelry to British royalty, and they’re reportedly worth a lot of money.

29. Queen Alexandras amethyst sautoir necklace — $60,000

A sautoir necklace is one with a long chain with some kind of bauble suspended from it. In the case of this necklace that once belonged to Queen Alexandra — husband of Edward VII — a heart shaped amethyst is attached. Alexandra gifted the piece to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon as a wedding present for her marriage to Prince Albert, Duke of York in 1923. Albert became King George VI in 1937 with Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother, as his queen.

28. The Carrington Feather Brooch — $85,000

This attractive brooch in the shape of a feather with a square-cut sapphire set onto it was a wedding gift bestowed on the late Queen. It was made by the jewelry company Carrington and gifted to Queen Elizabeth by the company. As The Court Jeweller website tells us, “The Queen only [wore] the brooch with blue or purple clothing, helping to emphasize the shifting color of the gemstone.”

27. Queen Mothers maple-leaf brooch — $120,000+

Elizabeth II’s mother, also Elizabeth and known as the Queen Mother after her daughter’s coronation, owned a splendid diamond brooch in the shape of a maple leaf. Of course the maple leaf is the national symbol of Canada. So it’s no surprise that the Queen Mother’s husband George VI presented her with the piece in 1939 to mark a state visit to the Canadians. 

26. The Queens Brazilian aquamarine necklace — $180,000+

In 1953 Elizabeth II ascended the throne with a grand coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey. To mark the occasion the Brazilian president of the day, Getúlio Vargas, presented Her Majesty with a fabulous aquamarine necklace and matching earrings with the stones set in diamond scrolls. Apparently a fan of aquamarine stones, the Queen added an elaborate tiara to her set in 1957.

25. Camilla's Cubitt-Shand tiara — $300,000

Camilla Parker Bowles, second wife of King Charles and now Queen Consor, seems to enjoy wearing a tiara on special occasions. One of her favorites is the Cubitt-Shand tiara, which originally belonged to Camilla’s grandmother Sonia Keppel. She wore this diamond tiara with floral styling when she married her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973. Her romance with Charles was still in the future. 

24. Queen Marys diamond choker — $300,000+

This diamond choker from the 1920s originally belonged to Queen Mary, but it’s become a favorite of Kate Middleton. Yet she doesn’t wear it round her neck: instead it’s been adapted to be worn as a bracelet, so she sports the Art-Deco-style piece around her wrist. In the past the Queen Mother was seen wearing this diamond bracelet. 

23. Queen Alexandras pearl parure — $360,000

Alexandra of Denmark became the Princess of Wales when she married Victoria’s son Edward in 1863. He went on to become king in 1901, making Alexandra queen. Made by Garrard, this parure — a matching set of jewelry — was a wedding gift to her. The ensemble included a tiara, a coronet, a brooch, a necklace and earrings. Kate Middleton was spotted wearing these pieces at a state banquet in 2018. 

22. Ceylon Sapphire engagement ring — $360,000

Instead of picking something from the extensive royal collection, Princess Diana opted to buy a new piece from Garrard as her engagement ring in 1981. The ring includes a 12-carat sapphire which came from the island nation that was once called Ceylon but is now Sri Lanka. In 2010 Kate Middleton chose the piece as her engagement ring when she became Prince William’s fiancée. 

21. Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch — $600,000

The Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch once belonged to Marie Feodorovna. She was married to the autocrat Tsar Alexander III, who reigned for 13 years from 1881. Queen Mary, the late Queen Elizabeth’s grandmother, bought this piece from Feodorovna’s daughters in 1943. The brooch was a favorite of the Queen Mother, who wore it often. Queen Elizabeth wore it on a visit to Pope Francis in 2014.

20. Queen Alexandras Kokoshnik Tiara — $695,000

The original owner of this Kokoshnik Tiara was Queen Alexandra, Elizabeth II’s great-grandmother. The Ladies of Society, a group of women drawn from the aristocracy, gave the piece to Alexandra as a 25th wedding anniversary gift in 1888. Years later, Elizabeth II wore the tiara at state events such as the opening of the Australian Parliament in 1954 and on official visits to Mexico in 1975 and Turkey in 2008.

19. Queen Marys Lovers Knot Tiara — $1 million

Four female members of the royal family have enjoyed wearing this spectacular tiara over the years. The first to do so was Queen Mary, on the throne with George V from 1910 to 1936. She had the piece made in 1913 as a copy of another grand tiara, the Cambridge Lover’s Knot that had belonged to her aunt. In later years the tiara was worn by Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, and Kate Middleton. 

18. Cartier Halo Scroll Tiara — $1.7 million

Famous jeweler Cartier sold the Halo Scroll Tiara to George VI in 1936 not long before his coronation. He gave it to his wife Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother. The piece includes 1,311 diamonds and Elizabeth gave it to her daughter, the future Elizabeth II, as an 18th birthday present. Kate Middleton wore it as her borrowed item when she wed Prince William in 2011.

17. Queen Marys diamond bandeau — $2.4 million

This diamond bandeau was created for Elizabeth’s grandmother Queen Mary in 1932. Although it’s worn as a tiara, the piece actually features a brooch which can be removed and worn on its own. The brooch, featuring a floral motif, was gifted to Mary by the County of Lincoln on the occasion of her wedding in 1893. The Queen inherited it from Mary when she died in 1953.

16. Dubai Looped-Sapphire Demi-Parure — $3 million

Sheikh Rashid of Dubai presented this set of sapphire and gold jewelry made by Asprey to the Queen in 1979. The original parure included a ring, earrings and a necklace, but Elizabeth opted to make some alterations to the pieces. The earrings and necklace were reduced in size and the spare parts along with the ring were fashioned into a bracelet.

15. Lotus Flower Tiara — $4.8 million

The origins of the Lotus Flower Tiara lie in a wedding present the Queen Mother received in 1923: a diamond-and-pearl necklace. The gift came from her new husband, the future King George VI. Garrard had made the necklace and it was this firm which then converted the necklace into a tiara, just six months after George had given it to Elizabeth. In recent years, Kate Middleton has worn the Lotus Flower Tiara at public events. 

14. The Belgian Sapphire Tiara — $6 million

This piece, sometimes called the Victorian Sapphire Tiara, was commissioned by the late Queen Elizabeth to match a set of jewelry called the King George VI Suite. George, of course, was Elizabeth’s father and he gave her this jewelry suite as a wedding present in 1947 when the future Queen was still a mere princess. Then in 1963 Her Majesty decided to expand the set by adding the Belgian Sapphire Tiara. 

13. Burmese Ruby Tiara — $6 million

This eye-catching tiara with its mix of rubies and white diamonds was actually made using stones from another tiara. The Nizam of Hyderabad, an Indian royal, made a generous gift to Elizabeth II for her marriage to Prince Phillip in 1947. The Nizam told Elizabeth to choose whatever she wanted from Cartier. She picked a necklace and a tiara. Subsequently the pieces were dismantled and turned into the Burmese Ruby Tiara in the 1970s. 

12. Queen Marys fringe tiara — $6 million+

When it comes to weddings, members of the royal family have a real thing about wearing this exquisite piece of jewelry. Queen Elizabeth, her daughter Princess Anne, and her granddaughter Princess Beatrice all wore it for their nuptials. Jeweler Garrard had made the Russian-styled tiara for Elizabeth’s grandmother in 1919 using diamonds from a piece that had belonged to Queen Mary.  

11. The Queens Oriental Circlet Tiara — $7.2 million+

This splendid tiara has not only been worn by royals, but it was even designed by one! Prince Albert designed this piece for his wife Queen Victoria in 1853. When Edward VII succeeded to the throne after his mother Victoria’s death in 1901 his spouse Queen Alexandra inherited it, and she replaced the original opals with rubies. It then belonged to Queen Elizabeth II.

10. Greville Festoon Necklace — $8 million

The fabulous Greville Festoon Necklace has more than enough diamonds to dazzle us mere mortals. It’s named for the woman who once owned it, Margaret Greville, who came from a fabulously wealthy brewing dynasty and was an avid jewelry collector. Her marriage to a baronet gave her an entrée to high society, something she greatly relished. She bequeathed much of her collection to the Queen Mother.  

9. The Prince Albert Brooch — $9.6 million

It was just 24 hours before they were due to wed in 1840 when Prince Albert gave his bride-to-be Victoria a special gift, this brooch. It seems that the Queen was delighted with the present and she wrote in her diary that Albert’s gift was “a splendid brooch, a large sapphire set round with diamonds, which is really quite beautiful.”

8. Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara — $12 million

The Russian Grand Duchess Vladimir was married to Nicolas II’s uncle Grand Duke Vladimir. Killed by communists in 1918 along with many others of the Romanov family, Nicolas was the last Tsar of Russia. The Grand Duchess managed to flee the country after smuggling the tiara to Britain where Queen Mary, Elizabeth II’s grandmother, bought it. The late Elizabeth often wore this historic heirloom from the Grand Duchess.

7. Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara — $14 million

This Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara was one of the pieces that Margaret Greville — who died in 1942 — left to the Queen Mother in her will. Created in 1921 for Greville by the French jeweler Boucheron, it wasn’t seen for many years after it fell into the hands of the royal family. It emerged again when the Queen’s granddaughter Princess Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank in 2018. She sported the gorgeous Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara at her wedding.

6. Princess Dianas Saudi sapphire suite — $20 million

This breathtaking sapphire necklace and earring set which also includes a wristwatch and a ring was made by the London jewelers Asprey. The suite was a wedding gift to Princess Diana from Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Fahd. Jewelry authority Maxwell Stone told the Crisscut Magazine website that, “This is an incredible jewelry suite, especially the necklace, which is a real showstopper.”

5. St. Edwards Crown — $39 million

St. Edward’s Crown is the centerpiece of the British Crown Jewels, which are kept under the strictest security at the Tower of London. The Queen only wore this crown once — and briefly at that: during her coronation in 1953. Since the crown includes almost 5 pounds of gold as well as 444 gems, it’s actually really quite difficult and uncomfortable to wear. 

4. Cullinan III & IV Brooch — $60 million

This brooch gets its name from the fact that the brilliant sparklers mounted on it were the third- and fourth-largest cut from the Cullinan Diamond. This was an enormous stone of over 3,000 carats that was presented to Edward VII in 1907. It had been mined in South Africa and was named after the mining company’s boss Thomas Cullinan. The two largest stones from the Cullinan were used in the Crown Jewels.

3. Princess Dianas Sapphire and Pearl Choker — $120 million

The Queen Mother gave this to Diana as a stunningly lavish present on the occasion of her marriage to her grandson Prince Charles in 1981. In her 1985 book The Royal Jewels, Suzy Menkes wrote that, “The Queen Mother’s wedding present to Diana was a duck egg of a sapphire, surrounded by a double row of diamonds and mounted as a brooch.”

2. The Cullinan I Diamond — $525 million

The extraordinary Cullinan I Diamond is the largest of the sparklers that were cut from the more-than-3,000-carat stone which was mined in South Africa. As mentioned above, it was gifted to King Edward VII in 1907 as a birthday present. In 1910 it was mounted on one of the most important of the Crown Jewels, the Sovereign’s Scepter with Cross.

1. The Koh-i-Noor Diamond — $1 billion+

The Koh-i-Noor Diamond was mined in India and as the Historic Royal Palaces website puts it, the gem “has had a turbulent history.” It is now mounted on one of the Crown Jewel pieces, the Crown of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Previous owners of the stunning 105-carat stone have included “Mughal Emperors, Shahs of Iran, Emirs of Afghanistan, and Sikh Maharajas.”