The Duchess of Cornwall's Engagement and Wedding Rings

The Duchess of Cornwall's Engagement and Wedding Rings

The engagement of The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles was announced on February 10, 2005, after reportedly settling the details with The Queen over the Christmas holiday, and slightly earlier than planned since details had been leaked to the media. The happy couple appeared at a charity gala at Windsor Castle that night and met the press beforehand, the bride-to-be stating that she was "just coming down to earth" and reporting that Charles had gotten down on one knee to pop the question. ("Of course," she said. "What else?")

Video: The night the engagement was announced

Camilla proudly showed off her large engagement ring, a design (according to multiple reports at the time) of a central square-cut diamond flanked on either side by three diamond baguettes and set in platinum. It was confirmed to be a royal heirloom, and was later shown to have been in the collection of the late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Charles' grandmother.

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Queen Elizabeth wears the ring

Exactly how the ring came to be in Queen Elizabeth's collection is a matter of speculation. Various reports have dated the piece from the 1920s or 1930s; some have said it was a gift from her husband to celebrate the birth of their first child (Princess Elizabeth, the current queen), while others have placed it as part of the Greville bequest (the jewels inherited by Queen Elizabeth from Mrs. Ronald Greville in 1942). Like the rest of The Queen Mother's jewels, it most likely was inherited by The Queen in 2002 and then given to Charles after that. The ring is now worn daily by Camilla alongside her gold wedding band. The rings exchanged by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall are made from Welsh gold, as is the royal family's tradition, and were created by Wartski jewelers (appropriately, a firm with roots in Wales).

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This is one of the larger engagement rings in the main royal family, and it is often cited as one of the (if not the) most valuable ones, using purely speculative figures, of course. But despite the large stones, it doesn't feel overpowering; the simple Art Deco design makes for the perfect showcase for these diamonds (and makes it one of my personal favorite royal engagement rings).

Appearances: Since these are worn every day, individual appearances will not be catalogued here.

Photos: via Getty Images

Sapphire Rings

The Queen has several sapphire rings to wear with the rest of her blue jewels. Three were shown in photographs released in advance of the publication of Angela Kelly's book Dressing the Queen.

Sapphire Cluster Ring

The first is a basic sapphire cluster ring, featuring a central oval sapphire surrounded by diamonds. This might remind you of the sapphire and diamond engagement ring worn by Diana, Princess of Wales and now by the Duchess of Cambridge, though this sapphire is smaller and the diamonds are larger in relative size. This is a classic design, and it can be spotted accompanying the sapphire set based around pieces given by the Queen's father, King George VI. The ring is not usually mentioned as part of the same set, though, and I don't believe a provenance is known. As this is a basic design, it is also possible multiples exist in the same basic form.

Sapphire Diamond-Shaped Ring

The second is a diamond-shaped design featuring alternating rows of diamonds and sapphires. Here again, I don't believe a provenance is known for this ring. It is sometimes worn together with the sapphire cluster ring and the Queen's engagement and wedding rings when sapphire jewels are worn.

Sapphire and Ruby Coronation Ring

Left to Right: the ring shown in Dressing the Queen, Queen Victoria's Coronation Ring, and the Sovereign's Ring made for William IV

The third includes a ruby cross on a sapphire background, surrounded by diamonds. This looks to be a match for the coronation rings, two rings belonging to the Crown Jewels. The larger ring is called the Sovereign's Ring, and was made for King William IV in 1831 by Rundell, Bridge & Rundell; this ring was worn by the Queen at her coronation. A near identical ring in a more petite scale was made for Queen Victoria in 1838 again by Rundell. The delicate band on the ring shown in this group seems to match Queen Victoria's version. This is interesting because the coronation rings are listed among the coronation regalia kept at the Tower of London, and are not thought to be used for private occasions. It may be that the Queen's personal collection includes a copy of Queen Victoria's ring.

Appearances:
2006: 80th Birthday Royal Windsor Horse Show Dinner and Private Birthday Party 
1983: State Visit to India 
1953: The Coronation (Sovereign's Ring)

Photos: The Royal Collection/PA

The Emerald Tassel Parure

The Emerald Tassel Parure

It's well known that some of the wealthier Middle Eastern monarchs are in the habit of giving lavish gifts of jewels to other heads of state and royals. There are several jewels in the Queen's collection that have no confirmed provenance but are suspected to have been gifts from these monarchs because they have a certain modern look established by the favored jewelers of these wealthy monarchies. This parure (matching set) of emeralds and diamonds is thought to have been one such gift.

Necklace, earrings, and bracelet; the ring can be seen in the top photo on the Queen's left hand

The set includes earrings, a necklace, a bracelet, and at least one ring (seen on her hand above; she has also worn a second emerald ring with this set which does not appear to share the same design characteristics). The necklace and earrings incorporate diamonds and emeralds set in gold in a design of knots and tassels with emerald ends. One possible suspect for the provenance of these pieces is Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates; pieces of the parure were worn at the return dinner he held at Claridge's during his July 1989 state visit to the U.K., and the Queen has a history of wearing gifts or otherwise related jewels at return dinners. This, however, is not confirmed.

Appearances:
5 July 2012: Order of the Thistle Service
2011: State Visit from the United States, Return Banquet

Engagement and Wedding Rings

The Queen wears her wedding and engagement rings essentially every day, though thanks to her glove-wearing habit we only spot them once in a while.

The Queen's Engagement Ring

The platinum and diamond engagement ring has a central 3 carat solitaire flanked by diamonds on each side and was made from a dismantled tiara that belonged to Prince Philip's mother. Read more at Order of Splendor.

Her wedding ring is made from Welsh gold. The Clogau gold came from a piece of gold from the 1911 closure of the Clogau St. David's mine; the gold was given to the Queen's parents for their wedding in 1923 and furnished rings for the Queen Mother, the Queen, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, and Diana, Princess of Wales before it ran out.

Subsequent gifts have replenished the royal stock of Welsh gold, allowing the tradition to continue. A gift from the Royal British Legion went towards the ring for Sarah, Duchess of York. A 60th birthday gift of gold from the Gwynfynydd mine might have provided the rings for the Earl and Countess of Wessex. And the tradition continues today: the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding ring was made of a piece of Welsh gold the Queen gave Prince William after the couple's engagement.

Appearances:
Worn nearly every day, these rings are tagged here only when they can be spotted in photographs. Click here for those appearances.

Photo: Leslie Field