Princess Diana Had the Most Iconic Jewellery Collection

Twenty-three years after her death, Princess Diana remains the undisputed style icon of the British Royal Family. And while her wardrobe was undoubtedly a never-ending source of delight for fashionista royal watchers (we’re looking at you, revenge dress!), her jewellery collection was truly unmatched.

Here’s a breakdown of her most iconic pieces:

Princess Diana’s Iconic Jewellery Collection

The Spencer Family Tiara

Funnily enough, one of the pieces of jewellery Diana was best known for didn’t even belong to her. The Spencer Family Tiara was a family heirloom that belonged to Diana's father, John Spencer, the eighth Earl of Spencer. Diana wore it on her wedding day and it immediately became indelibly associated with her, although Diana's two sisters also wore it on their respective wedding days.

After Diana became the Princess of Wales, she was given a royal tiara to use—the Lover’s Knot—but she continued to wear the Spencer to white-tie events, probably because the Spencer tiara was lighter and more comfortable than the Lover’s Knot.

The Lover's Knot Tiara

The Lover's Knot tiara was created for Queen Mary in 1914 by the House of Garrard from pearls and diamonds already owned by her family. After Queen Mary died in 1953, the tiara was passed down to her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen wore the tiara several times in the '50s but moved on to other tiaras that she preferred. In 1981, the Queen loaned the Lover's Knot Tiara to Princess Diana as a wedding gift but Diana opted instead to wear the Spencer Tiara on her big day, because the Lover's Knot, despite being beautiful, was so heavy that it hurt her head.

After her divorce, Diana returned the Lover’s Knot tiara and it has been seen on the Duchess of Cambridge’s head in recent years.

Sapphire and Diamond Engagement Ring

The engagement ring that launched a thousand copies now belongs to Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, but first, it famously sat on Diana’s hand. Diana chose the 12-carat blue Ceylon sapphire ring surrounded by 25 brilliant, cushion-cut diamonds herself, from a selection of designs by Garrard, the then crown jeweller.

Some say Diana chose it because it reminded her of her mother’s engagement ring, others suggest that she chose the ring with the biggest stone. Either way, Diana loved the piece so much that she continued to wear it during her separation, only swapping it out after the divorce was finalised.

The Asprey Aquamarine Ring

This spectacular aquamarine ring was another of Diana’s favourite pieces crafted by Asprey. The jeweller created it when Diana's divorce was finalised so that she would have something to replace her famous engagement ring on her ring finger.

When she died, the ring was passed down to Prince Harry. In fact, it was the same ring that was spotted on Meghan Markle’s hand at the young couple's wedding reception. The aquamarine in this ring is estimated to be 30 carats and is accented with diamonds and set in yellow gold – unusual for the pale blue stone which is usually set in cool-tone metals. Talk about one-of-a-kind.

The Saudi Sapphire and Diamond Jewellery Suite

The suite was a wedding present from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Made by famous jeweller Asprey, it consisted of an enormous Burmese sapphire pendant set in a jagged sunray fringe of baguette diamonds and hung on a thin diamond necklace. To go alongside: A matching pair of earrings and a ring, a bracelet of two rows of brilliant-cut diamonds with a smaller version of the sapphire pendant as a centrepiece, and a wristwatch with the face set in the same diamond sunray fringe and a strap of seven oval sapphires in clusters of diamonds. It is rumoured that Diana had the ring and watch from the suite turned into a famous choker, but later photos of her wearing the watch disproved that notion.

The Queen Mother's Sapphire Brooch

The Queen Mother's wedding present to Diana was a huge sapphire surrounded by a double row of diamonds and mounted as a brooch. Diana wore the brooch a few times, but as she preferred necklaces to brooches, she eventually adapted it to be worn as the clasp of a seven-stranded pearl choker necklace.

This stunning piece was one of a few royal statement jewellery pieces that she wore during and after her divorce. Most memorably, she wore the necklace with the infamous "revenge dress" that she wore the night Prince Charles announced his affair.

Eleven-Strand Pearl Choker

Princess Diana wore many pearls over the years, but this 11-strand choker is one of her most iconic pieces of pearl jewellery. While she had several pearl chokers, this one, made with more than 900 pearls and columns of diamonds and rubies, was a favourite. She wore it often to film premieres and nights at the theatre—anywhere she wanted to make a statement.

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